Budding Rose
by RoseLissaBelikova
Summary: Rose is a new senior at St. Vladimir's Academy with a secret only Vasilisa Dragomir, her best friend at the same school, knows. But what awaits Rose behind the iron gates of St.Vladimir's? A budding romance, danger around every corner, and a journey full of friendship, romance, jealousy, and vengeance. AH. RxD.
1. Prologue: From Ankara to America

**FULL SUMMARY: **Rose Hathaway is a new senior at St. Vladimir's Academy, where her best friend, Vasilisa Dragomir, attends. But what awaits Rose behind the iron gates of St. Vladimir's? A budding romance, danger around every corner, and a journey full of friendship, romance, jealousy, and vengeance. AH. RxD. All cannon pairings. You'll find some similar plot points to the original series, but it's very different.

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**ROSE**

"Yes, Baba?" I asked him plaintively, trying to look innocent, but from the amused glint in his eyes it was not working. "Is there something you need?"

I sent a quick prayer to whoever was listening that this wasn't about that expensive vase I broke running out of the house (late, as usual) on Wednesday morning, or when I put plastic wrap around the snobby Zaeros' car last Thursday, or the fact that I snuck back in at 1 am after quite the awesome party Friday night, or…Well, you get the picture.

"I wanted to talk to you about your new school" he said, almost meekly, which was totally out of character for him. My father, Abe Mazur, knew that I was not all too happy about moving from our home in beautiful, scenic Turkey to smack dab in middle-of-nowhere Montana.

Abe and I live in Ankara, Turkey in a mansion-like house placed neatly within a rich neighborhood. It was extremely flashy, much like Abe himself. With the full suits he wore all the time – even in summer – the colorful scarves, and the single, gold earing, he definitely made a statement wherever he went.

"Are you certain this is necessary, Baba?" I sighed. "I wish it wasn't kizim, but the business is getting more and more dangerous." He said placing his fingers on his temples. I could see that he meant it; my father and I were all the family each other had. My mother had walked out of our lives when I was only four years old to chase her career as a successful lawyer.

"You'll need to start packing," he began "you'll be leaving tomorrow morning so you can arrive in Montana Sunday and get settled…" I groaned at his words, cutting him off. I had already been through the phase of losing my infamously short temper when he first told me last week. By now I realized that it really is for the best that I go. Well, with some help from my even-tempered, sweet best friend, Lissa. I didn't want to leave the American high school in Ankara I attended, but the fact that Lissa would be in my new one made it a bit more bearable.

"Fine, fine…I'll be ready" I muttered. "Thanks, kizim. I know it's hard for you to go to a new school senior year, but the year will be over before you know it." He said with a smile that I couldn't help but return. I went outside and sat on the balcony to call Lissa and let her know I'd be there tomorrow. It was still early morning, so it would only be the afternoon in Montana. I dialed the familiar number and waited while it rang twice before she picked it up. "Hello?" A grin broke out on my face just from hearing her familiar voice. "Hey Liss" "Rose!" she exclaimed. "Yeah Liss, it's me…I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to be at St. Vlad's by tomorrow around noon." I had to pull the phone away from my ear as she squealed loudly before launching into a rant about all the things I had to see and all the people I had to meet. Well, this should be interesting.

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_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

I rolled over in my bed, trying to find the right position amidst the many pillows scattered over my king-sized to muffle the sound of my stupid alarm clock. I didn't get much sleep last night because I had been up late packing and chatting excitedly with Lissa. She talked to me about dorms, as my father had apparently managed to get me one of the biggest, most-coveted of them. She also told me about her friends, throwing out many names, all of which I promptly forgot, except the one she was talking about all night, no, all summer. Christian Ozera. He was her boyfriend of three months; they had gotten together towards the end of Junior year and had gone long-distance throughout the summer. Christian had to go back to Saint John, Canada where he lived with his aunt, while Lissa and Andre, her twin brother, returned to Boston and her parents. I had also known Christian from a few years back. We had a sibling-like, antagonistic relationship.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

Somewhere during my internal babble I had tuned out the sound of my alarm clock, but the sound penetrated my just-woken-up haze as thoughts slowed.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

I had half a mind to throw the damned thing at the wall. I was contemplating precisely what angle would do the most damage when I was interrupted.

_Knock Knock Knock_

I looked towards the door to see my dad's bearded face smiling at me.

"You weren't thinking of breaking that poor alarm clock, were you, Little Girl?" he asked with amusement clear on his face. I sat up, shrugging dispassionately.

"Oh, come on, kiz! That would've been the third one this week." After a moment, he just sighed, used to my antics, and told me to get ready for the plane.

"But Abe! I still have a few hours until my flight!"

"Rose, we both know you can manage to be late with more time than that."

I open my mouth to unleash my many retorts but he cuts me off "You'll be living on the same floor as Vasilisa. I had the biggest room arranged for you." He informs me.

"Thank you, Baba. That really wasn't necessary." I said with a smile, as the rest of the sentence caught up with me. "Lissa, her name is Lissa." Liss hated her full name and much preferred the Americanized nickname.

"Oh, and Kiz?" he asked before leaving the room.

"Yeah?"

"You might want to hurry or else we won't have time to stop for donuts on the way." He threw over his shoulder. I curse loudly and run toward the washroom as I hear his chuckle echo through the hall.

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**I know this wasn't very interesting, but I just needed to establish some things. Bear with me, as it's going to get much better next chapter(s). Next up, we'll be going to St. Vlad's where you're sure to see some familiar faces. Please leave a review letting me know what you think!**

**Don't forget that if you like this, I have some other stories - check them out on my profile!**


	2. Chapter 1: A Whole New World

**I'm back! I'll have short chapters (1,000 - 1,500 words) because I figured you guys would rather a shorter chapter more frequently than a longer chapter once a week. I would really appreciate some critique, if you have any to give, and please review.**

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**ROSE**

When the plane arrived in Montana, I found that Abe had hired a car to take me to St. Vlad's. A tall, well-muscled man who introduced himself as Pavel was standing there with a small sign that said 'Rose Hathaway' and promptly led me to the car. Abe had decided that I'd use my mother's maiden name, Hathaway, to avoid letting anyone but Lissa know who I was. Or, rather, whose daughter I was. It was a boring, black Honda. Practical, but I would rather, oh, say, a Mustang or a Porsche. I could just hear him now: _Kiz, you can't expect to navigate the mountainous terrain of Montana in any luxury car. Now get in._

I was wearing black skinny jeans, a dark purple silk blouse with lacy patterns, and black heeled boots. I left my hair in long dark brown waves hanging down my back and applied light make up. I also had my black leather jacket, and my backpack slung over my shoulder. I was apprehensive to say the least about arriving at my new school.

I recalled the conversation I had with Abe about the Academy on our way to the airport.

_"Dad, what exactly is St. Vladimir's Academy?" I asked, still somewhat peeved about having to leave the international school I had attended here in Turkey since I could remember._

_"A school, Rose." He replied with a smug smile._

_I glared at him and gave him my _'Seriously?'_ look. "It's one of the most prestigious academies in the US. Only the best for rich families and nobility." He added in an amused tone._

_"So I'll have to put up with snobby assholes and stuck up bitches all semester long? Great."_

_"Just give it a try, Rose. I'm sure you'll be happy to see Vasilisa. And they also have combat classes. I'm sure, if nothing else _that_ will keep you interested." He said before getting out of the car to get me my donuts. _

_"Yeah right. St. Vladimir's Academy for the Financially Gifted." I mused bitterly. Fun was not in the forecast. _

_He returned a few minutes later with three Chocolate-glazed donuts, and – if I'm not mistaken – black coffee for himself._

By the time we reached school, I was hungry, which is just as well since it was breakfast time. However, I knew I had to go to the office first to get my schedule and dorm room key.

Normally, nothing precedes food for me, but wanting to have a good start to the year, and being a good student I decided to head towards the office first – hard to believe, right? I'm a good student with an excellent transcript because I know my future relies on what I learn now. But that doesn't stop me from making comments in class or pulling pranks on people; if teachers seem like they have something stuck up their arse, I'm not afraid to point it out.

Ms. Ellen Kirova, from the plaque on her desk, the headmistress' secretary told me to take a seat. I could already tell I wasn't going to like her and vice-versa. And that's saying something, because many teachers adore me despite my bad attitude and sarcasm. Must be the natural Mazur charm. Kirova had a sharp, pointed nose, and her mouth was puckered as if she had just tasted something sour. Her face seemed permanently screwed into an expression of condescension. All in all, she reminded me of a vulture, and was probably prepared to prey on students like one as well. After a while, I was called into Headmistress Belikova's office.

"Good Morning, Rosemarie. How are you?" She asked in a polite tone.

"I would say I'm fine, but I would be lying, seeing as I'm very hungry and you just called me 'Rosemarie'." I quipped with a good-natured smile, trying to feel out what kind of person she was.

She laughed pleasantly and asked: "Well, what should I call you?"

"Rose." I responded matter-of-factly.

"Well, Rose. Welcome to St. Vladimir's Academy. You can get your schedule and key from Ms. Kirova outside. We are glad to have you; your academic record is flawless, though you're antics are something we don't appreciate." She said sternly "But they are a great source of entertainment." She added, grinning, her kind brown eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Yes, well, that's just how I am." I stated proudly, while returning her smile with a devilish one of my own.

"Okay, then. I suppose we're done. You can head down to the dining hall now; we've a French toast and bacon special today that I'm sure you'd like."

"Why, thank you, Headmistress…"

"Belikova." She finished, smiling in amusement.

"I was kind of hoping you'd give me your first name." I said, feigning disappointment.

Headmistress Belikova laughed and answered "Olena, dear. My name is Olena. Now go ahead before you miss breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day."

"Yeah, I know, but can I ask one last question?"

"Yes?"

"Where are you from? You have an accent." I had picked up on it the instant I began talking to her, and my failure to decipher it led me to inquiring her.

"Russia." She said with amusement.

I bit back any offensive comments about the arctic wasteland that flew to my lips, smiled, and walked out to collect my schedule. I grabbed the keys to my room and moved to open the door.

As I turned the corner, about to go down a flight of stairs to check out the dining hall, someone barreled into me, pushing me down the steps. "Shit!" I cursed as I fell down the stairs, hitting my head along the way, back first, knocking the air out of me momentarily. I put my hand to my head and felt sticky, warm liquid against my fingers.

I looked up to see the moron that pushed me down a fucking flight of stairs and saw… the most gorgeous guy. Actually, gorgeous seemed like an understatement. This was the kind of hot that made you stop in the middle of the street and get hit by traffic, or in my case I suppose, said hot guy. He looked quite tall, or maybe it was that I was sprawled across the floor, on the landing below. His shoulder-length brown hair a few shades lighter than mine was pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, and his wide, dark eyes seemed to be assessing me just as I was him.

"I am so sorry! It was an accident. I-" He began. Damn, he had a slight and somewhat familiar accent that was super sexy, but was cut off by Kirova, who had stepped out to hear what caused the noise that resulted when I barreled down the stairs.

"Ms. Hathaway! Are you okay?" She stupidly asked me.

"I..." Dark spots danced across my vision, and my dizziness almost made me lie back from how I was sitting up. "I'm feeling a little light-head-" I barely managed to say before the darkness engulfed me.

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**Three guesses as to who that was? Well, please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter, and if there's anything in particular you want to see in the future. I have it on good authority that there's a DPOV next chapter. ;)**


	3. Chapter 2: Now You See Me

**S/O: My first follower: **RoxanaHathaway**. My first favorite: **Georgie16**. My first reviewer: **fangurluv**. You guys are all so awesome, so thank you for your support! Now, on with the story.**

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**DIMITRI**

I was on my way to the headmistress' office to see my mama a few minutes into breakfast. I wanted to ask her to give me a permission slip to go off campus after school to see the new movie, Now You See Me, with Ivan. I didn't have many friends – I was considered a loner and a nerd because I usually had my nose buried in a book unless there was a football in my hands – but I had Ivan Zeklos. I had known Ivan for a long time, but we weren't very close back in Russia. However, he had been my best friend since the first day of football tryouts our freshman year, when I defended him against his cousin, Jesse. Despite being related, and outwardly seeming the same, those two could not be more different.

Eager to get back to my food, I began practically running down the empty corridor. However, just I turned a corner, I collided with someone. Said someone fell backwards, falling down a full flight of stairs.

No – not just someone. My eyes widened as I stared at the beautiful girl in front of me, or rather, below me, on the floor with blood gushing from her forehead or head – I wasn't sure which. Her beautiful, dark hair fell around her in waves and was obscuring my vision. I stood, frozen, as I watched her lift her head to apply some pressure to her wound. A wound I had caused. I felt so guilty at inflicting harm upon someone so beautiful.

I wanted nothing more than to apologize to her, take her into my arms and ease her pain – _whoa, what is wrong with me?_ I've never felt this way about a girl, let alone a girl I just met.

Suddenly, she lifted her gaze and locked her eyes with mine. I had to stifle a gasp at how much loveliness her brown orbs held. I had never seen eyes this dark and bright. The sunlight streamed into the room through the big glass window and lit her up in a way that could only be described as angelic.

I began apologizing to her and was rudely interrupted by Ms. Kirova, who had come out of the office and stupidly asked her if she was okay. The girl was bleeding; of course she was not okay!

"I..." She began but cut herself off. "I'm feeling a little light-head-" She had barely managed to voice before she slumped back, her upper body falling back to the ground.

I stood there, too shocked to move, staring at the unconscious angel in front of me when Kirova's sharp voice snapped me out of it.

"Well, don't just stand there! Help me get her to the infirmary!" She all but yelled at me.

Mama came out of her office just then. "What's all the commotion about?" she asked and then gasped as she registered the girl's unconscious form, oozing blood in Kirova's arms as she tried – and failed – to stop the bleeding.

"What happened? Actually, never mind. Dimka, help us take her to the infirmary, now!" Mama said in a frantic voice. She was always so cautious about her students.

I quickly crouched down and picked her up in my arms, her lightly tanned skin was paling as she lost blood and I found myself worrying about her wellbeing. I would never forgive myself if anything serious happened to her. Please, oh please, be okay. I silently begged in my head as I all but ran towards the infirmary with Kirova and Mama following close behind.

I barged into the infirmary and yelled for Doctor Olendzki and Nurse Rinaldi. Both of them came out of the office in the corner of the infirmary, where they kept the records.

The minute their eyes landed on the beauty in my arms, they widened. Nurse Rinaldi hurried towards one of the cabinets and immediately began pulling out supplies, while Dr. Olendzki instructed me to place her in one of the vacant beds.

I hurriedly obliged and she began working on cleaning the blood which had – thankfully – begun clotting. She assessed the wound and _tsked_.

"I'm going to have to sow her up." She said, frowning while taking the suturing supplies from Nurse Rinaldi. Now, I felt even guiltier. I didn't realize I was frowning while looking at them work on the gash on her forehead until Mama questioned me.

"What's wrong, Dimka?" She asked.

"Nothing, I'm just worried about her." I said, taking a seat next to her bed, opposite the side that Dr. Olendzki was working on.

"What happened, Dimka? How did Rose get injured?" She inquired further, and I noticed that Kirova had left.

_Rose._ So that's her name. I didn't realize I was silently testing her name on my tongue until I noticed Mama looked at me questioningly.

"I…uhm, was running to the office and I bumped into her as she was standing in front of the stairs." I admitted.

"Well, I'll need to see if she has a concussion or any major consequences of the injury. Head trauma can be difficult to recover from." Dr. Olendzki said, bringing me back to my guilt.

I asked Mama to excuse me from my classes so I could sit with Rose, and, after a little pleading, she let me stay on the condition that I show her around the campus when she wakes up. I wouldn't mind following her all day long, so I easily agreed.

I texted Ivan, the only number besides my Mama and sisters' that I had in my phone, asking him to pick up any work assigned today. As it was the first day, it should be pretty light, so I wasn't too worried. The only thing I was slightly disappointed about missing was practice, but I'd talk to Coach Alto later and make it up with him.

She left shortly after taking her vitals and told me to inform her if anything happens. I got up from my chair and brushed a few stands of her silken hair from her face and caress her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Roza." I whispered to her.

I sat back down and stared at her still form, praying to anyone who was listening that she would wake up soon.

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**Yay, most of you were right about Dimitri being our mystery guy. Reviews make me write faster ;)**


	4. Chapter 3: By Your Side - Poor Rose

**Hello again! If I name a chapter after a song or a portion of a song, I'll include the lyrics in the chapter.**

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Chapter Title Song:

_Sleeping Beauty  
Sleeping Beauty fair  
Gold of sunshine in your hair  
Lips that shame the red, red rose  
Dreaming of true love in slumber repose_

_One day he will come_  
_Riding out of the dawn_  
_And you'll awaken to love's first kiss_  
_Till then, Sleeping Beauty, sleep on_

_Till then, Sleeping Beauty, sleep on_

Poor Aurora/Sleeping Beauty - George Bruns

**LISSA**

I walked towards the gym with Jill and Mia after the bell rang, signaling the end to my last class. I was disappointed and confused. Rose – my best friend – has promised me that she would attend St. Vladimir's with me when she moved here with her parents, but she had missed out on the first day.

It just doesn't make any sense. Did she change her mind? If so, then why didn't she tell me? I chewed my bottom lip as I pondered over the possibilities, occasionally contributing to the light conversation that flowed between Mia and Jill.

We had to go to the gym for cheerleading practice. Though I cheered, I wasn't the typical blonde, cliché head cheerleader; I was also a part of the school's debate team. The debate team was where I met my boyfriend, Christian Ozera. Rose is an amazing debater as well, though I think that comes from her pathological urge to argue and simply play the devil's advocate.

I reached the gym and found everyone sitting on the bleachers, staring at the football team stretch. Yeah, it was a damned good view but I was too worried about Rose to appreciate it. I just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Hey, Ivan! Where's Dimitri?" Mia asked. Dimitri was a loner and a bit nerdy, so no one but Ivan really liked to associate with him. However, it was still weird to not see him at practice; he was overly committed to football.

"In the infirmary. He was dismissed from his classes." The blonde replied in behalf of his best friend.

"Oh my, is he okay?" Mia asked, fluttering her eyes at him. Mia had a crush the size of Texas on Ivan, but he remained clueless to her advances. Weird, because Ivan was normally very girl-savvy and somewhat of a player.

"Yeah, he's fine. He's staying there to keep an eye on his latest victim" He replied with a grin.

"What do you mean 'latest victim'?" Mia asked him, confused, and probably also wondering about the latest gossip. Mia frequented the gossip mill of the school that I usually tried to stay away from, but I found myself also eager to hear Ivan's reply.

"Oh, it's this brunette. She's new and really hot! But don't tell him I said that; I think our Dimka has a crush." Ivan revealed while chuckling.

_Brunette? New? Wait: Rose?!_

"You wouldn't happen to know her name, would you?" I asked him, trying to remain casual.

_Don't say Rose. Don't say Rose. Don't say Rose. Don't say –_

"No, I don't but I know she's Janine Hathaway's daughter." He said. Janine Hathaway was Rose's absentee mom. I knew because we had studied her briefly in debate, back in middle school, as she was one of the most successful lawyers in the world. When I had mentioned studying Janine while on the phone with Rose, she had shut down and refused to talk about her. I later squeezed the information out of her, and Rose told me about how Janine left when she was four.

"Oh no." I said as I dismissed the cheer squad and made a run for the infirmary.

_Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay__._ I silently chant the prayer in my head.

When I finally arrive at the infirmary, my heart dropped at the sight in front of me. Rose, as pale as a sheet, lying on the infirmary bed.

I spotted Dimitri Belikov, knowing what he looked like because he hung around us sometimes when Ivan was there, in the corner of the room and moved towards him.

"What happened?!" I yelled at him. The heart monitor began to beep erratically, and we both turned toward her again.

"What did you do?!" I continued, now whisper-yelling.

"I…er, she -"

"She what, Dimitri?!"

"I don't know, okay?! She was fine, and then…" He trailed off and it was then I noticed that he had tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Dimitri. It's just that she's my best friend and -" I began but he cut me off.

"Wait, this is Rose? Your best friend Rose?" He asked with wide eyes. "Lissa, I'm so sorry. I didn't know she was there. I didn't mean to hurt her. Oh God!" He said, putting his head in his hands.

"Calm down, Dimitri. She'll be okay. She has to be okay. Rose is really strong" I reassured him. I just hoped I was right.

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**DIMITRI**

I had been sitting in this exact chair, in this exact position, with this exact expression of guilt and worry for God knows how long. I simply couldn't tear myself away from her. I wanted – no, needed – to be here when she woke up. I _had_ to make sure she was okay.

I knew it was weird because I didn't even know Rose but she just has this inexplicable draw to her. I tried to rationalize it in my head: of course I was concerned. I was simply worried because I had been the one to injure her, and she was a new student. Yes, that's all. While I tried to keep up my weak excuses, Ivan entered the infirmary.

"Hey, man. What're you doing in here? Coach told us you were in the infirmary and were excused from your classes. I thought something had happened to you, but you're freaking fine!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm not here for me. I'm here for her." I said as I motioned towards Rose's pale, unconscious form.

Ivan let out a whistle, "Damn, she's sure is a fine piece of -"

"Don't you _dare_ finish that sentence, Zeklos." I growled at him. "Whoa, okay, dude. Whatever you say." He said while raising his hands in surrender. "So, how'd you end up here?"

"I kind of ran into her…with the door." I said sheepishly.

"Tough luck, bro." Ivan placed a hand on my shoulder and then continued, "Well, I have to go. If I don't show up for practice, Alto will kill me." He said with a grin.

That had been about half an hour ago, approximately the time of the last class.

_Wake up, Roza. Wake up! _I couldn't help but silently urge her. Still no change. I sighed and moved my attention to the heart monitor attached to her thumb in one of those weird clip things they have on the end of the wires of medical machines.

I saw Lissa walk up to me, "What happened?!" she yelled at me.

The monitor began making weird noises and there was something wrong with the pattern that records the heartbeat. It wasn't the typical up-down pattern. I was terrified. I yelled for Dr. Olendzki and Nurse Rinaldi.

My heart stopped. Okay, not the time for an expression like that. Shit, what just happened? She was okay a while ago. Why was her heart speeding up?

"What did you do?!" She whisper-yelled at me.

"I…er, she -" I stuttered.

"She what, Dimitri?!" She demanded, a bit more forcefully this time.

"I don't know, okay?! She was just fine, and then…"I trailed off, unable to finish my sentence as tears formed in my eyes.

She couldn't die on me; I didn't know much about this girl, but she captivated me. Not only that, but having her seriously hurt because of me would weigh on me for years.

"I'm sorry, Dimitri. It's just that she's my best friend and -"Lissa began but I cut her off.

"Wait, this is Rose? Your best friend Rose?" I asked with wide eyes. Lissa always talked about a Turkish friend of hers named Rose. They had, apparently, been best friends since they met each other when they were ten.

"Lissa, I'm so sorry. I didn't know she was there. I didn't mean to hurt her. Oh God!" I said, cradling my head in my hands.

"Calm down, Dimitri. She'll be okay. She has to be okay. Rose is really strong"

My musings were cut off by the most wonderful sound in the world. The steady _Beep…Beep…Beep…_of her heart was like a soothing melody to me.

_She's okay._

I heard Lissa heave a sigh of relief. Both of us moved in unison towards the bed.

"What happened?" I asked Dr. Olendzki. Lissa sat down in the chair I was previously occupying and held Rose's hand, whispering to her, too soft for me to hear.

"We believe the stress from hearing you two yelling caused her heart palpitations." She said disapprovingly.

Guilt washed over me, and I could see Lissa felt the same.

"Then what should we do?" Lissa asked.

"It means that she's easily stressed right now. We can't wait for her wake up in case something like this happens again. I could try and give her some anti-anesthetic or adrenaline to try to wake her up." She replied.

Lissa stood up and walked towards the door, "I'm calling her mom. You try to wake her up." With that she left.

Dr. Olendzki moved towards the office to look for the needed supplies. I sighed and sat back down. I looked at Rose's still form and whisper, "Wake up, Roza."

I closed my eyes and leaned back only to be graced with the sweetest sound in the world – a groan.

_She's awake!_

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**Now that Rose is awake, the party can start! Pretty please review; it keeps these updates coming.**


	5. Chapter 4: Not a Bad Deal

**ROSE**

I awoke to the annoying, yet ever-so-familiar beeping of the heart monitor. I opened my eyes to register my surroundings and was met with a glaring white light. I groaned and closed my eyes again.

You would think that after years of waking up to stupid hospital lights above me, I'd be used to it...Nope, that's not the case. Hell, I don't think I'll ever get used to it. I wasn't clumsy by any means, but I was often getting hurt from training in self-defense or pulling one of my famous – or infamous, depending on who you were – stunts.

I sighed and opened my eyes, squinting, and sat up with great effort.

I turned my head my head as I heard a gasp. It was him. It was the guy that had barged into the office and had hit me with the door.

"Hey" I flashed him a grin as I moved to sit up.

"You should rest, Roza." He said. God his accent was like a caress. Shit, what am I thinking? Rose Hathaway-Mazur does not think like this. I barely know the guy!

"And why should I listen to you? I mean, my mother always told me you shouldn't listen to random men. A random man who hurt you, no less." I replied with a smirk.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. It was an accident. I am so sorry. If I had known -" His rambling was just so adorable. I had, of course, known it was accident but it was still nice to get an apology.

"Relax, Comrade. I know." I said picking the nickname wantonly after I recognized his accent as Russian, like the one Headmistress Belikova had. I said it with a smile to show how sincere I was.

"Really? But I made you miss your first day." He said, seeming immensely guilty.

"Don't worry, Miss Mazur. I assure you that if you are well rested you should be back in school in no time." Said a woman who walked towards my bed with a pen and clipboard in hand. I assumed she was my doctor.

"Thank you, Doctor…" I trailed off, waiting for her to continue.

"Olendzki."She replied with a small smile. "I'm glad you're awake. You gave us quite a scare." She said, seeming genuinely concerned.

"How soon can I leave?" I asked abruptly.

"Well, I'm not sure…" She said. "You seem to be fine, you don't have a concussion, but you were unconscious for quite some time. For now, I suggest you rest." She said.

"I can rest in my own room." I argued.

"Rose -" I cut her off.

"Please? I'll stay here a few hours and then go back to my room. I'll start school tomorrow."

I hated being looked at as weak. I did not want peoples' pity. "Fine. But on one condition." She said. I groaned internally. "What?"

"Belikov here will stay with you and accompany you today and tomorrow." She said.

"Belikov? That name sounds familiar." I said.

"Yeah, I'm the headmistress' son. Dimitri Belikov." He said, moving towards me.

"Well, it's about time we meet, officially." I said with a smile. He smiled back at me, and Dr. Olendzki cleared her throat. "Do you agree, Rose?"

I nodded. "I accept."

I would rather be in a dorm room than a hospital room any day. And then there was the added benefit of having Dimitri around. No, that definitely wasn't too bad of a deal at all.

After Dr. Olendzki left, I sighed and sat back down on the edge of the bed. "Are you okay?" Dimitri asked.

"I don't know. How would you feel if you were confined to this place?" I responded, my voice raised slightly.

"I know you don't like it. No one would, but that's why I'm here. I can keep you company. Talk to me. Time will pass, trust me." He said kindly, seeming unaffected by my minor outburst.

"Well, what do you wanna talk about, Comrade?" I asked. "First tell me if you have any pain from your laceration." He countered.

"Huh? Oh, no. It's fine. I'm used to pain, don't worry." I reassured him. I didn't want him feeling guilty.

"You're used to pain? What's that supposed to mean?!" He exclaimed. Yeah, bad choice of words, Rose.

"Never mind that-" He cut me off. "But-" But he never got a chance to finish his sentence.

"Oh no, you owe me at least that. You're the reason I'm in here, remember? Now drop it!"

He sighed and slumped in the chair besides my bed. After a moment of silence, he spoke up.

"So, your mom is Janine Hathaway?"

It was my turn to sigh. "Yeah, at least that's what my Dad says." I said snarkily, to cover up my slight inward wince when I heard her name. "It's not as cool as everyone thinks though. It might've been if I actually knew her." I muttered the last part under my breath.

"Understandable. But you should be proud of who you are, embrace it. Don't shy away from it. Even if your mother isn't around, I'm sure all she does is to support you."

"Why are you defending my mother?"

"I just can't imagine anyone not having a good relationship with their mother." He explained. I mulled over his words for a little bit, and, despite not wanting to admit it, I found some truth in them.

Just then, Nurse Rinaldi came in and took my vitals; they were stable but not as great as she had wanted. After she left, I picked up the thread of our conversation right where we left it off.

"Do you have a big family?"

"Yeah, I've three sisters – Karolina, Sonya and Viktoria. Paul and Zoya are my niece and nephew – they're Karolina's children. Her husband died in a car accident a little over a year ago. Then there's my grandmother Yeva. She a bit creepy and weird at first, but once you get to know her, you like her."

"I'm really sorry about her husband. What about your father?" I asked somewhat timidly.

I noticed his posture tense and his fists and jaw clench. He turned away from me to glare at the floor.

"I'm sorry, I-" He interrupted me.

"No, it's okay. I'll tell you some other time, okay? Just not now." I accepted this and we moved to random topics of conversation. Conversation flew smoothly, surprisingly. Turns out, Dimitri isn't just a pretty face, but actually has a personality and a brain hidden behind that handsome exterior.

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa…so wait. You like Westerns? Is that why you're wearing that ridiculous coat?" I interrupted him as he began telling me about his favorite books.

"It is not ridiculous!" He scoffed, looking down, almost self-consciously on his long, brown duster.

I laughed, "Oh, it most definitely is ridiculous, but don't worry, I think you look cute." I said with a smirk. "You know, trying to defend your dignity by denying that it's not ridiculous won't work. Be a man, Comrade – embrace it." I added, throwing his words back at him.

He chuckled while shaking his head, "It's not ridiculous."

"Whatever you say, Sheriff." I teased.

After a while a guy who looked oddly familiar walked in and took Dimitri away claiming that the coach wanted to talk to him. Dimitri sighed and got up, "I'll come to take you to your room in a while Roza."

"Sure thing, Sheriff." I said jokingly. He groaned while being dragged out of the room by his friend.

Not two seconds after I lay back down, Lissa came barging through the doors, followed by two girls – a petite blond and a brunette with mousy brown hair.

"Rose!" She squealed as she hurled herself at me.

I laughed and hugged her back, "Liss. If you could not crush me, I kind of need my lungs to breathe."

She pulled back and frowned. Uh oh…Not good.

"Rosemarie Hathaway!" She began –yelling, might I add – luckily remembering not to say 'Mazur'. Yeah, definitely not good. "Don't you ever do that to me again! Do you have any idea how scared I was?"

I sat back up, seeing as she wasn't pinning me to the bed in a trachea-crushing hug anymore. "I'm fine, Liss. Relax." She frowned but nodded, "So, introduce me to your friends." I said, changing the subject.

"I'm Mia" tiny, porcelain doll look-alike blond girl said, stepping forward. "It's nice to finally put a face with the name. Lissa's told us so much about you." She continued.

"Likewise." I said, just now remembering her from our conversation last night. "And that makes you Jill, right?" I guessed at the diminutive brunette.

"Yeah. I'm glad you're okay." She said with a shy smile. "So am I." I replied playfully, with a lopsided one of my own.

Lissa, Jill and Mia sat themselves on random spots on my bed and we began talking. I found that I liked them a lot. Mia was just like the brilliant, snarky, bold girl Liss told me about and Jill was a little shy at first but she warmed up after a while – she was really sweet and kind, and I could see why she was friends with Lissa. And Liss…well, she hadn't changed one bit.

After a while of chatting, Lissa, Mia, and Jill had to go. They hadn't wanted to leave me there, especially Lissa, but I waved them all away, knowing they had lives. Luckily, I wasn't alone for long.

"Rosie!" Came a cheerful masculine voice.

I turned towards the door and spotted Christian moving towards me. Ah, yes. Christian Ozera. We had met a long time ago and had become good friends, though we had an antagonistic relationship; like the heart's muscles.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Ozera Inferno." I said with a smirk. I had labeled him with many fire-related nicknames ever since he told me about how he accidentally set his Chemistry classroom on fire sophomore year. "And how many times have I told you not to call me that, fireball? I might have to put you in here myself if you keep doing it"

"At least I'm not clumsy enough to get hit with a door." He retorted.

"Hey! That was Dimitri's fault!"

We bantered amiably for a while longer, before Christian wished me a quick recovery, but regretfully said he had to leave as well. He walked out the door muttering about position papers. I felt his pain; debates were demanding, especially MUNs.

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**What did you think of Christian and the girls? Any thoughts? Let me know in the reviews!**


	6. Chapter 5: Personal Guardian

**ROSE**

Dimitri finally came back, after what felt like eternity, "Well, well, well, looks like Belikov finally made an appearance." I began sarcastically, "Tell me, should I alert the media?"

Dimitri just grinned good-naturedly at me, "Sorry, I got caught-" He had barely gotten the word out when he was interrupted.

"Rose! How's my star pupil?"

"_Your_ pupil?" I scoffed, but with a smile on my face, unable to conceal my happiness at seeing the familiar duo.

"Yeah, she was always _my_ protégée, Stan." Alberta said, smirking.

Yes, in front of me stood Alberta Petrov, my second mom and combat instructor, and Stan Alto. Well, let's just say he was always there for my combat training…to get his ass kicked.

"Yeah, which is why Alberta took pride in me beating the crap outta you, Stanny." I said with a wicked smile. Annoying him was one of my favorite past-times.

"Anyways, how are you Rosie?" He asked; my responding growl making him waggle his brows at me.

"I'll live. I mean life isn't a bed of roses, right?" Alberta grinned. She had always said that to when I was upset about something. It was our thing.

"Oh, don't get me started. I just had to deal with my players and it leaves me in an _ever so sour _mood." Stan said scowling. He always got Victorian-era dramatic when he was tired.

Dimitri cleared his throat and spoke up, "I'm sorry, do we annoy you Coach Alto?" He asked in an innocent tone he pulled off quite well, raising an eyebrow.

Stan opened his mouth to reply but I beat him to it,

"Whoa, whoa, whoa – _you're _the coach?!" I nearly shrieked, "Why whatever happened to the mass of raw talent standing to your right?" I said, in a much calmer voice, gesturing to Alberta's amused form.

"I'm the combat instructor." She explained. Huh, combat with Alberta…It'll be like reliving my childhood all over again, except-

"Well, that's good, depending on -"

"Yes, I'll still make you chocolate chip cookies. I really do miss baking with you, you know. It was very entertaining seeing the oh so brilliant Ma-" she paused for a moment and cut herself off, with a discrete glance at Dimitri. "Rose Hathaway suffer the…what-was-it…clutches of the culinary monstrosity?" She said with humor, putting a bit too much emphasis on 'Hathaway,' probably for Stan's benefit.

"It was 'suffer the deliciously deadly clutches of the culinary monstrosity', I believe." Stan said and the both of them chuckled.

"Well, in my defense, I was nine and over dramatic."

"Yes, and that's what happens when you obsess over Roman theatre." Alberta said dryly. I poke my tongue out at her, "Well, I-"

Dimitri interrupted me, "As entertaining as your interaction is, I'm curious to know how you know each other."

"Yeah, and I'm curious to know why Stan's extreme lameness hasn't shattered the balance of the universe yet. But we don't always get what we want." I grin mischievously at Stan.

"Hey, watch it! I'm your teacher here, Hathaway." He wouldn't have said Mazur even without Dimitri in the room; he always used Hathaway because he claimed exclaiming Mazur was way too terrifying and weird.

"Oh right." I clear my throat and begin in a teacher's pet voice, "Forgive me for my offensive words, Coach Alto. It won't happen again."

"Ha, we'll see about that." He snorted, knowing me far too well for my act to work on him.

I merely roll my eyes and was about to retort but Alberta, being the peace-keeper of our trio, interrupted.

"Stop it, you two. As for your question, Dimitri, I was Rose's combat trainer when she was younger and Stan used to assist me occasionally." Dimitri appeared thoughtful.

"Well, get well soon, Rose. I expect you in my class as soon as possible. Now, if you'll excuse us, Headmistress Belikova has a staff meeting we're supposed to attend."

With that, she kissed my head and left with Stan following her.

After Dr. Olendzki had – reluctantly – given me the okay to go to my room, I suppressed the urge to jump for joy and simply exited, with Dimitri trailing behind me. I kept trying to get him to leave me alone, but he wouldn't budge. That didn't stop me from trying, though.

"Oh, come _on_! I don't need a babysitter."

"I'm not a babysitter. Think of me as a…personal guardian."

"I don't need a guardian either; I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself. Lissa already showed me around campus when I visited her last year, and I know where my room is." I reasoned. "Don't worry, Comrade; I know you want a damsel in distress. We'll find you one…_just not me_."

He groaned, making me laugh, "You're never going to let my love for Westerns go, are you?"

"Well…" I began teasingly which made him groan, again.

"You know…I might reconsider if you _leave me alone._"

"No. Stop thinking I'm being held here against my will or anything. I _want_ to be here. Think of me as someone who's trying to get to know you…as a friend?" He sounded uncertain.

I groaned, but finally gave in. I liked him and he'd be an awesome friend, even if he was a cowboy-lover. I'd never admit this, but I thought his adoration of the West was quite adorable.

"Fine, but only if you…" I trailed off, unable to come up with anything good.

"…How about I buy you dinner?" He blurted, but then blushed and looked down – if I didn't know any better – nervously. "I-I mean, only if you want to. We don't have to, actually, forget about it. I don't know what-"

"Sure, Comrade." I cut off his adorable rambling and saw his eyes light up for a moment before he covered it. "As long as it's good. If not, I want my condition back." I continued jokingly and we both laughed.

We walked along in silence after that, though it was a comfortable silence.

Dimitri nudged me and I looked up, noticing that we had arrived. I nodded and opened the door with my key, promptly tossing it on the bed, and headed towards my closet – which I knew had been stashed with my clothes, thanks to Mikhail, my fathers' body guard/assistant – and began ruffling through the many outfits. After I was satisfied with my choice of clothing, I moved towards the drawers. After placing the clothes on the bed, and began ruffling through my undergarments – which, thankfully were handled by Sonya, Mikhail's wife – when Dimitri spoke up. "What are you doing?" He raised an eyebrow at me – I got sidetracked for a while, thinking about the universe's cruelty by making me _eyebrow impaired_.

"I," I announced grandly, "Am going to take a shower."

"But…is that okay? You know, with your…bandages." He said, waving his hand in the general direction of my head.

"No, I'll be careful." I reassured him, though I _really_ wanted to wash my hair.

Getting back to work, I chose my undergarments and grabbed a towel, heading towards the bathroom.

"Rose, are you sure?" Dimitri blocked my way, looking worried.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now go wait; you can read one of my books while you're at it." I told him, gesturing to the book shelf. "They're not Westerns but some of them are fairly good."

Dimitri, _finally_ –reluctantly – let me go to the bathroom, which was, to my appreciation, already set up with nearly all of my products. I turned on the shower, putting on a shower cap; the last thing I needed was a soggy wound and an infected scar. I stood under the hot water, letting it soothe my aching muscles. I might've brushed off the exhaustion after my passing out, but that didn't mean it wasn't there. So, I just stood under the hot water for about twenty minutes, with my eyes closed, shut off from all thought.

After I felt the aching leave my muscles, leaving behind some slight soreness, I lathered my body with body wash, with the help of my loofah, and rinsed my body. Getting out of the shower, I dried myself off and moisturized my body with a lemon scented lotion and put on my bra and panties. I was about to walk out when I remembered Dimitri was out there. I paused, contemplating what to do next when there was a knock at the door, followed by a _very_ familiar voice that I adored. _Problem solved._

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**Oooh, who do you think that is? Put your guesses in the reviews and I'll let you know if you guess right!**


	7. Chapter 6: Little Temptress Underdressed

**S/O to those who have favorited Budding Rose: **DamphiricAngel2014, EarthChilf97, Guardian-Rose-Belikov-2016, Pkair55, Roza1229, VALover3, VladMorgendorffer, Yuki Uzumaki Uchiha Namikaze, and heaies.

****See you at the bottom!****

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**DIMITRI**

Rose was still the bathroom when there was a knock on the door, followed by a greeting that made me frown. Who would knock on someone's door and call, in a song-song, tone: "Open up, Little Temptress!"?**  
**

I made my way to the door and opened it to reveal, of all people, Adrian Ivashkov.

"Adrian?" I asked with wide eyes that I'm sure portrayed my confusion and frustration at seeing him. With his signature smirk and messily styled hair, Adrian was quite a player sometimes and I didn't want him anywhere near –

"Belikov? What are you doing in here?" He asked, as his smile dropped into a frown at my sight. As I was a loner with few (_cough _one _cough_) friends, I was surprised that he knew my name, but I shouldn't have been; it was common knowledge that I was Headmistress Belikova's son.

I opened my mouth, about to reply, but was cut off by Rose. "Adrian, Oh Thank God! Co-" She began, which confused me. Did they know each other? But she was cut off by Adrian,

"See Belikov, that's how you greet someone." He said smirking and moving past me into the room.

"Why, you called Little Temptress?" He said with a grin, "How can I be of service to you?" He said with a wink, which made my frown deepen.

But to my surprise, Rose laughed and poked her head out of the bathroom with her hair all disheveled and water dripping off the edges of her face. Her face that was framed by some wet locks, though the rest of her was dry. Odd; I didn't think I'd ever seen something that beautiful…or alluring.

Wait, what am I thinking? What is wrong with me? I shouldn't –

"Yeah, you can start by handing me my clothes since I left them on my bed."

As Adrian began to move towards the bed, she amended her original statement and said, "Actually, before that, could you come in here and help me with my hair? I can't wash it because of the bandages…" She trailed off. So that's why her hair was dry.

"Well, well, living up to your nickname, eh, Little Temptress?" He said with a smirk and grabbed her clothes, moving towards the bathroom.

I was uncertain about letting him go in the bathroom with a scantily clad Rose, but he appeared to have known her for much longer than I have, so it clearly wasn't my place to go against her when she was the one who asked him to come in.

I was standing there dumbstruck as the door closed behind Adrian. What the hell just happened?

**ROSE**

After Adrian entered the bathroom, he hung my clothes carefully, so as not to wrinkle them and then turned around to smirk at me.

"Did you miss me, Little Cupcake?" I simply grinned and threw my arms around him, hugging him as an answer to his question.

Adrian chuckled, "Well, this is certainly one of your finer greetings, Little Temptress."

I laughed and pulled away, lightly punching his shoulder. "Watch it, Ivashkov! We don't a repeat of our first introduction, do we?" I asked, smirking at him and he simply frowned at me, his frown morphing into a smirk as he took my towel clad body in.

"Not to be rude, but don't you think you're a little…underdressed?"

I stuck my tongue out at him and lead him to the bathtub, all the while guiding him on how to be careful while washing my hair. The task would be relatively easy and I wouldn't have to bend backwards – much – since he had almost a foot over me. He cut me off mid-sentence,

"I know, Rose. This isn't the first time I've helped you with something like this, remember?"

I did remember. Back in Scotland, when Abe and I were overlooking the medical facility – me, a little too up close after I was badly injured trying to hike the Devil's Staircase. I mentally shook my head, clearing those memories with a frown. Adrian must've noticed because he sighed and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, while softly caressing my cheek. I closed my eyes, lightly leaning into his touch.

I might have gone through a lot of crap during my life, but there were things that I was glad for, and Adrian Ivashkov was one of them.

**ADRIAN**

I had heard Rose Mazur herself was here from Lissa – apparently she managed to land herself in the infirmary on her first day. How typical. I couldn't keep the grin that spread across my face as I thought of her.

My father, Nathan Ivashkov, and Rose's father, the infamous Zmey were old friends. They struck a few deals together, and Zmey got my father out of trouble once. I often saw Rose when our fathers got together to talk business, and I missed her a great deal.

I quickly found her room and knocked eagerly, calling "Open up, Little Temptress!"

The door opened, but it did not reveal the brunette beauty I was expecting. Instead, the Headmistress' son stood at the door.

"Belikov? What are you doing in here?" I asked, masking my jealousy as I realized he was here with Rose. _There's nothing going on with them._ I reassured myself. _He's a dork and she's, well, she's Rose. Plus they only met today._

He opened my mouth, about to reply, but was cut off by Rose. "Adrian, Oh Thank God! Co-"

"See Belikov, that's how you greet someone." I said smirking smugly and moving past him into the room.

"Why, you called Little Temptress? How can I be of service to you?" I asked, adding a wink in the customary flirty tone I took with Rose.

Rose laughed and poked her head out of the bathroom. Her hair was all disheveled and water dripping off the edges of her face. Some of her hair was wet, while other parts were dry. Ah, she must have a bandage. She looked, to put it quite simply, totally hot.

"Yeah, you can start by handing me my clothes since I left them on my bed."

Instead of making an inappropriate comment about her lack of clothes, I began to move towards the bed, when she amended her original statement and said, "Actually, before that, could you come in here and help me with my hair? I can't wash it because of the bandages…" She trailed off. So that's why her hair was dry.

"Well, well, living up to your nickname, eh, Little Temptress?" I said, now unable to resist, and, with a smirk, grabbed her clothes, moving towards the bathroom to help her.

**DIMITRI**

After some debate, I decided to take a seat at her desk chair, just in case she needed help, whether it be with changing her bandages or fending off Ivashkov. I almost growled at the thought of them together in the bathroom, but quickly told myself to get a grip. I had just met her today, it was entirely unreasonable for me to care if she was dating him. But that didn't stop the questions from spinning around in my head.

_Why was he in there with her?_

_How did they know each other?_

_Were they involved?_

_If so, then why was Ivashkov sleeping around? _

I knew it was none of my business, but I couldn't stand cheaters. Besides, why would someone cheat on Rose? She was incredible.

_No_. I had to stop thinking like that; I barely knew her. But, I wanted to know her. I wanted to be close to her. She drew me in, and I had no idea why.

To keep my mind off of Rose, I wandered over to her bookshelf. After all, she _did_ tell me I could read one of them. She had a wide range of taste; the bookshelf contained everything from _Orientalism _to the _Divergent_ trilogy.

I looked through a few of the titles: _The Book Thief, A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Age of Innocence_. She also had some classics, such as _Othello_, and _The_ _Odyssey_.

So she was smart as well as beautiful.

Just as I reached for her copy of _Wuthering Heights _I heard the bathroom door open. Rose came out, followed by Ivashkov.

"Thanks for your help, Adrian, Dimitri, but I have a headache and I need to rest." She said, shooing us away immediately. "I'll be fine for the night." She added, when she saw my doubtful face.

Adrian turned to me and smirked, as if expecting me to leave first. _In your dreams, Ivashkov._ I thought as I stared him down. He returned my glare and we stood there, challenging one another in the tense silence, until Rose coughed lightly. I turned to her immediately.

"Um, not to break up the glaring contest, but the testosterone levels in this room are threatening to asphyxiate me, so could you guys get a move on?" She asked. I glanced once more at Ivashkov, and we seemed to come to an agreement. We both went for the door, squeezing through at the same time, our shoulders brushing.

"Bye Rose!" I called back, sending her a smile that she returned.

"Bye, bye my lovely temptress. See you in your dreams!" Adrian called, but his eyes were on me, and if looks could kill I'd already be six feet under.


	8. Chapter 7: The Streets of Laredo

**Thank you all for the lovely reviews! As promised, I'm UDing early because you are all fabulous. ****Especially DamphiricAngel2014, Jessica Ozera, and VladMorgendorffer who review almost every chapter! :)**

**Enjoy!**

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**ROSE**

I sighed, looking in the mirror, inspecting Outfit #4. I didn't know why I was so nervous; I was famous for not caring what anyone thought of me, so why was I agonizing so much about what I was wearing. _Because of a certain Russian you have a crush on._ A snide voice in my head commented. I promptly told that voice where it could shove its opinions, before pausing. _Great, I was talking to myself. You know, that's one of the first signs of insanity. _I mused. I told myself to get over it, and just stuck with my current outfit of a black skirt with a cute, red, long-sleeved shirt and my ever-present black leather jacket over it. Grateful I'd already applied makeup, I grabbed the same high-heeled boots I wore yesterday and went down to breakfast to grab something quick, as I spent too much time debating my outfit to sit down to eat.

As I made my way down, I glanced at my schedule:

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM: _AP Literature [Room 117]_

9:05 AM – 10:05 AM: _Calculus [Room 236]_

10:10 AM – 11:10 AM: _AP Government [Room 110]_

11:10 AM – 12:10 PM: _Lunch [Dining Hall]_

12:15 PM – 1:15 PM: _Gym [Gymnasium]_

1:20 PM – 2:20 PM: _AP Chemistry [Room 204]_

2:25 PM – 3:25 PM: _Russian II [Room 214]_

I groaned as I read it. Abe certainly had something to do with this, if AP Chemistry was any indication; I very much disliked science. Well, at least he settled for normal Calculus, as having advanced math would surely be a nightmare. I didn't mind the AP English and history classes, as I loved to read and write.

Then, my eyes were instantly drawn to the last class. Russian II. I had been hoping, as I was already fluent in Turkish and proficient in French, that I could bypass the language requirement. Apparently I could not, or perhaps Abe decided I could not. I had even burned all of my Russian I materials from the past. _Maybe a certain Russian could tutor you after school._ That same voice from earlier taunted. It was as I was distracted by ideas of one-on-one sessions with Dimitri that didn't involve much studying that I bumped into someone rounding a corner, and both of our books flew in every direction.

The first thing I noticed about the boy I bumped was his red, unruly hair. "I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed. I had been planning on giving him a hard time, because that's just who I was, but as I looked into his sincere, blue eyes I felt my anger dissipate. He was just so friendly looking. He was fairly cute, with a smattering of freckles across his face, and a large, well-muscled build, but he had nothing on Dimitri.

He seemed to come to the same conclusion about me, minus the Dimitri part, because he sent me a flirty smile before immediately stooping to pick up my books for me.

He handed them back to me, then held out his hand, which I took. "I'm Mason Ashford" he introduced himself, smiling. "Rose" I responded. "I'm new here. I'd love to chat, but I have to grab breakfast before class" I said, truly apologetic; Mason seemed like a nice guy. "Oh" he said, disappointed, but then he brightened. "Wait, what class do you have first?" he inquired.

"AP Literature"

"Sweet, me too! We should sit together?"

"Yeah, we definitely should." I grinned, happy at having made a friend quickly, and hurried on my way.

I looked into the dining hall, happy to see that they hadn't cleaned up breakfast yet, and that they had doughnuts. _Score! _I grabbed a chocolate glazed, and ran along the halls, using the plaques beside the logically placed rooms to guide me to the one numbered 117.

I walked into the room, quickly analyzing it. Standard rows of desks lined the room, and a few groups of kids sat in congealed clusters. It appeared extremely cliquey, and I was immediately grateful that I had someone to sit with. In fact, I noticed Mason right away, wearing a large boyish grin an waving at me from his seat. He gestured to the empty one beside him, and I walked over and sat down. As I walked over I noticed many people staring – the boys lustfully and the girls simply curiously. Mason and I struck up immediate conversation, and our easy banter reminded me of Christian – Mason was nice to talk to, I quickly realized. He was subtly flirting with me, and while I didn't overtly flirt back I made no moves to stop him. I hadn't quite made up my mind about whether I was interested in Mason yet.

I looked up and around the room then, and noticed someone I couldn't believe I'd missed at all. Though, it might have been due to the fact that, in all the group and clumps of friends, it seemed he had no place. There, sitting alone in the back of the room with a slightly worn copy of _Streets of Laredo_ in his hands and donning that darned leather coat was Dimitri Belikov. However, the Western novel was being neglected, as its owner observed the easy banter between Mason and I with an unreadable expression in his eyes. When he realized I caught his look, Dimitri glanced away immediately, becoming immersed with the book so quickly it was like he'd never stopped reading it. In fact, I might have thought I had imagined the entire thing if not for the faint, pink tinge creeping up his cheeks.

Before I could contemplate the implications of his actions and reactions to death, the teacher immediately stepped into the room and called for everyone's attention.

"Hello, for those that weren't here yesterday," everyone glanced at me as he said this "I'm Mr. Meissner. I'll be your AP Literature teacher. Pay attention and do the readings and in class, and I'm sure we'll get along just fine." The man had a booming voice and easily commanded the class' attention. He was clearly a good teacher and I was relieved I wouldn't have to start off the day mouthing off.

He launched into the class syllabus, along with overviews of what we'd be covering and I found myself actually excited for the course.

My next class, Calculus, was interesting. I found that Mia was in the class with me, and introduced me to her friend Eddie. We got on well, cracking jokes in the back of the class to pass the time. The teacher, Mr. Lazar, was boring and cruel. When he picked on some of the more quiet members of the class, I talked back loudly, earning me several laughs from the rest of the class. A lot of people came up to me later, complimenting me on my snarky remarks toward the teacher.

When I walked into AP Government, however, I realized that I didn't know anyone in this class. Well, that wasn't quite true. A figure wearing a familiar coat was sitting quietly with the same book from this morning neatly placed on the desk. No one had come into the classroom yet, so no one was there to witness the strange events that followed. I immediately gravitated towards him, and before I knew what I was doing, I was sitting in the seat beside his. His eyes widened at my approach, but a smile lit up his face as well.

"Larry McMurtry, huh?" I teased him.

"You know McMurty?" He said, seeming somewhat surprised. Probably because I made fun of his Western obsession so much that it'd be strange if I had one of my own.

"Nope, but I can read covers." I pointed out.

Dimitri chuckled at that; it was a warm sound, and I realized with a start I wanted to hear again. We continued to chatter until the teacher entered. Mr. Dashkov, a man with fading yet intelligent green eyes, brown hair sprinkled with grey, and a stooped back, introduced himself and began work right away. The groans of the entire class reverberated throughout the room. Didn't he know what the first week was for?

Dimitri and I began making our way to lunch together, talking and laughing along the way. But, when we were halfway there, Mia came squealing up to me.

"Oh, Rose! Lissa and I realized you haven't met the rest of the group and…" She immediately launched into animated conversation with me, ignoring Dimitri entirely.

Dimitri awkwardly began to walk away hurriedly "Oh, uh, I guess I'll catch you later, Rose."

"No, wait! You don't have to go." I said suddenly "Walk with us. I'm sure Mia won't mind." I looked at her imploringly as I said the last part, wondering if I was overstepping myself. I didn't think before inviting him along, I just hadn't wanted him to leave.

Mia, unfortunately, did not look thrilled at all with this suggestion.

"No, that's all right. I really should get going." Dimitri tactfully refused, probably seeing Mia's face. As soon as he left, Mia rounded on me.

"Rose, why are you even talking to Headmistress Belikova's son? He's such a nerd."

"He's really not that bad." I stepped in, defending him automatically. Mia didn't look convinced, but quickly dropped the subject. She continued to talk animatedly about how I hadn't met Natalie Dashkov, Mr. Dashkov's daughter, yet, and about Eddie, Mason, Adrian, and, most of all, someone named Ivan, who made up the male half of the group.

As she chattered on, I found myself looking back longingly to where Dimitri was walking away, shoulders hunched and head down.


	9. Chapter 8: The Dining Hall is a Jungle

**Thanks to: **VladMorgendorffer, Jessica Ozera, DamphiricAngel2014, TheCoffeeShopMuse, and XxxRomitrixxX** for reviewing the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one!**

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**ROSE**

"That's where all the rich bitches and douches sit." Mia explained cheerfully as we walked into the dining hall together. "Camille Conta and Jesse Zeklos head that group." She further explained, gesturing to an admittedly attractive blond-haired boy watching me lustfully, and the blonde next to him that didn't look to pleased with this.

"That's where most of the jocks sit. Dean Barnes, Shane Reyes, Meredith…" She pointed towards another table of buff, mostly tanned students who had looked up at our appearance into the dining hall. I recognized Shane as one of the people that congratulated me after my feat of snark in Calculus. He was currently waving at me from his table in a friendly manner.

"Those are the try-hards. Always studying, you know the type." She stereotyped, waving her hand dismissively. "Anthony, Aaron, and…Andre" her voice lowered significantly on the last name, as if she didn't want anyone hearing that one of her close friends' twin brother was a nerd.

I noticed Dimitri wasn't sitting at that table and glanced around quickly for him, finding him some time later sitting in the back corner of the cafeteria, alone. He, like many in the cafeteria, was looking at me, but quickly looked away before I could make eye contact. I was about to ask Mia why Dimitri was sitting alone, but she spoke before I could voice my question.

"And that's where our group sits." She gestured unnecessarily to the table where Mason's eyes were eagerly following my movements, like many of the males in the room. I rolled my eyes at their over-excitement. The table was in the center of the cafeteria and I could tell everyone was staring, enraptured by their new addition – me.

Jill was sitting to Mason's left, trying and failing multiple times to get his attention. The poor girl was obviously interested in him, but he didn't spare her a glance. Sitting across from Mason and Jill were Lissa and Christian, who were so wrapped up in each other they didn't notice our entrance. Eddie sat next to them, and looked like he might be sick if he didn't find something to distract himself from the saccharine couple soon.

Mia and I got our lunches (my tray significantly more loaded than hers) and walked over to the table. Mason gestured for me to sit on his right, while Eddie did the same for Mia. Mia immediately accepted the seat, while I hesitated; I didn't want to upset Jill. She shot me a half smile that seemed to say _it's okay_, so I sat down.

Mason and I began talking excitedly about teachers and classes, and I made sure to include Jill in the conversation. Lissa and Christian were still wrapped up in each other, but looked at us long enough to say hello. Eddie and Mia looked quite cozy on the other side of the table. I could tell from their conversations that they had known each other for a very long time.

Everyone was so nice; they offered to show me around, exchanged numbers with me, and immediately decided to include me in whatever plans they had this weekend.

After a few minutes, Ivan and Adrian made their appearance. Much as every male had turned to stare when I entered, every girl was hungrily following their movements at their arrival. They made their way cockily toward us, Ivan occasionally winking and waving at girls as he passed, while Adrian had his eyes locked with mine as soon as he walked in.

"Huh, wonder what's up with Adrian. He's not milking the female attention like he normally does." Jill said offhandedly.

"That's because he's staring at _Roooose_!" Mia sing-songed. Mason clenched his jaw, realizing the truth of her statement.

"Hey Rose, got any advice for how I can get Ivan the way you have Adrian wrapped around your finger?" Mia asked eagerly. For a moment I thought I saw Eddie flinch, but he recovered too quickly to be sure.

I waved all their comments away. "We're just old friends. Practically brother and sister." I told them. Mason relaxed slightly, but not entirely.

Just then, Ivan and Adrian walked up to the table, Adrian taking the empty seat next to me immediately, slinging an arm around my shoulders. The little bit Mason had relaxed earlier was gone, and then some. He was pointedly glaring at Adrian's arm, while Adrian either didn't notice or didn't care.

Ivan took the last remaining seat, which happened to be next to Mia, who practically swooned.

"What's wrong?" Ivan asked her, concerned, misinterpreting her sigh.

"Oh...nothing just annoyed at all the AP Biology homework I have. I mean, it's only the second day." She covered somewhat believably.

"Oh…Would you like me to help you after school? I took it last year." Ivan offered sincerely, acting very differently from his playboy self earlier.

"I'd love that!" Mia said excitedly.

"Woah, Ed, don't break the glass." Christian said, finally looking away to Lissa. I looked at what he was gesturing to and found that Eddie's grip on the glass was so tight it looked like cracks might form in it.

Searching for something to change the subject and relieve the sudden tension, Dimitri came into my mind again. "Hey guys, why is Dimitri sitting alone?" I inquired.

Everyone turned to look at me, surprised. "Why the sudden interest in Dimitri, Rose?" Lissa asked cautiously.

I shrugged "I just thought it was weird is all." I said nonchalantly. Or at least I tried. Everyone still looked at me suspiciously, but it was Jill who answered.

"Headmistress Belikova's son is a total geek." She said matter-of-factly. "Doesn't have many friends aside from Ivan." She said, looking disapprovingly at Ivan, as if she just caught him breaking a rule.

"Uh, we're not really all that close." Ivan was quick to say "In fact, I don't really know him all that well."

"Yeah, but if he were a geek, as you say, shouldn't he still be sitting over there?" I asked, gesturing to the table Mia had callously earlier labeled as 'dorks'.

"Belikov isn't only a nerd and a loner, but he's also cruel. I'd really stay away from him Rose." Mia jumped in quietly.

"Why do you say that?" I asked. Everyone at the table looked at each other as if deciding whether or not to tell me. Finally, Lissa's pleading eyes caused everyone else to nod slightly.

"I'll tell you, but this is, like, classified information." Mia said, suddenly gaining a slight valley-girl lilt to her voice. Everyone else must have seen my confusion at the sudden change, because Lissa explained: "She gets like that whenever she's gossiping, pay no mind to it."

I nodded and turned my attention back to Mia.

"He totally beat up his Dad back in Siberia or wherever. Almost killed him. I mean, I wouldn't get too close to him. He might snap if you tease him or something." Mia said in an informative tone, as if she were doing me a great favor.

I glanced back at Dimitri's figure, startled by this information, remembering how open and gentle he had been earlier.

"Maybe you guys shouldn't believe everything you hear. Have you gotten the full story from him?" I asked, almost reproachfully.

"Rose it's too dangerous to just go up to him and ask him about it. Who knows what issues the guy has." Mason said, wrapping a protective arm around my waist.

"What do you think, Ivan?" I pushed, knowing that Dimitri had mentioned they were good friends and Ivan was lying earlier about not knowing him well. I saw the conflict in his dark blue eyes, before he finally replied with the same cocky manner he had used walking in here: "What is there to think? The guy might be unstable, and I'm not so eager to be getting to know him all that well very soon."

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**What do you think of Dimitri's back story? And the gang? Let me know in the reviews who should end up with who; it's still open for some debate! **

**I promise this story probably won't be entirely high-school drama esque. The real danger is yet to come (_dun dun duuun…_). **

**Please let me know what you think!**


	10. Chapter 9: Lone Ranger

**Thank you to: **VladMorgendorffer, XxxRosmitrixxX, justmeanyways, RoBiNiSmYbOo, Jessica Ozera, Roza1229, DhampiricAngel2014, and Katie99mo** for reviewing the last chapter!**

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Chapter Title Song:

_She's a silver lining, lone ranger riding_

_Through an open space_

_In my mind when she's not right there beside me._

R U Mine - Arctic Monkeys

**DIMITRI**

I cursed my luck as I stared in the bathroom mirror. I couldn't afford to be attracted to her, but I couldn't help it. She was…well, amazing. And that was exactly why I was cursing my luck.

The gorgeous Rose Hathaway was the center of current gossip at St. Vladimir's. As the newest inductee to the most popular group, every girl was watching her every move, either to emulate her or to try to destroy her. Every guy wanted her. I would be lucky if someone remembered my first name one of these days. Despite the fact that we'd talked yesterday, I doubt she'd spare me a second glance today or ever again for that matter.

So, on that somber note, I headed down for breakfast. I always went so early that no one was there. The dining hall was quiet and it provided me some peace. I often ate alone both because no one ever really offered to eat with me, and they definitely didn't once they knew about my father, and because no one was ever really worth eating with. My thoughts strayed to Rose again, but I shook them away. Once I was done, I went in search of my first class. AP Literature. It was one of my favorite classes both because of the fairness of the teacher and my interest in the subject.

I took my seat in the back corner and took out my book, as usual, as students filed in. I heard the chatter of friends talking and catching up, but one interjection made my head snap up from my book so fast I may have gotten whiplash.

"Hey, Rose!" I heard the boyish voice of Mason Ashford, a fairly popular boy, exclaim.

I watched as they struck up easy conversation, flirting as they did so. Mason's body was turned fully toward Rose and his eyes were shining with adoration. I couldn't blame him – whoever didn't see how incredible Rose was had to be blind – but I felt a pang of jealousy. Mason and Rose's relationship would be accepted easily; he was well-liked and had many friends. Girls fawned over him, if just for the popularity he could bring them, though not nearly as much as Adrian and Ivan.

Ivan.

I sighed. We had been so close throughout the summer, but this year he seemed to be avoiding me. He had cancelled his plans with me to go to the movies, and this wasn't the first time, either. Even when we talked after school, in the gym, he'd always be looking around, as if making sure he wasn't seen with me. I didn't know whether to confront him about it, but I honestly did not blame him. People avoided me as if I had a contagious disease and I didn't want to drag anyone down with me.

Turning my attention back to the bantering pair, I realized with a start that Rose was turning to look around the room, in my direction. Our eyes locked for an instant, and I immediately turned back to my book, mortified that she'd caught me staring. I could feel the heat creep up my cheeks, but I was thankfully cut off from my embarrassment by the entrance of Mr. Meissner.

I went through French class in a daze. I had never been particularly good at French, French and Russian being fairly dissimilar in vowel sets.

I left quickly, and got to my next class, AP Government, early, as I didn't stop to talk and socialize like most others in the school. I sat in my customary back corner and tried to read my book, but my thoughts kept flashing back to this morning. To Rose. I placed the book down and simply gazed at the door. The room was so far empty of students. I humored myself, imagining Rose walking in through the door. She'd be wearing that same outfit as this morning, and that playful, mischievous smirk on her face as she scanned the room for somewhere to sit.

It seemed my imagination had become too good, because I thought I could actually see Rose there, framed by the doorway as her eyes rested on me. But, if I wasn't already sure I was imagining things, what happened next made me certain.

Rose began to make her way across the empty classroom near me, and my lips turned up in a smile without my consent.

"Larry McMurtry, huh?" She began.

"You know McMurty?" I asked, surprised because she'd made fun of my Westerns so much I didn't think she'd have read any.

"Nope, but I can read covers." she pointed out.

"Touché."

"So, what does our hero-in-a-ridiculous-hat do this time? Save a swooning damsel in distress? Rescue a town from a group of evil bandits?"

I laughed, before starting to explain the book to her, starting with its prequel _Lonesome Dove_.

We talked casually, and I could almost pretend that I had even a smidgeon of a chance of her being interested in me. Eventually, Mr. Dashkov entered began work right away. He was a serious teacher and expected nothing but the best from his students.

After class, Roza and I were walking to lunch together, and she had just giggled at a joke I made, when my pretense came crashing down in the form of a petite doll-like figure with a blonde pixie cut. Mia Rinaldi.

Mia ignored me as if I hadn't been standing there and immediately launched into a conversation with Rose. _Ouch._

I began to walk away hurriedly. "Oh, uh, I guess I'll catch you later, Rose!" I called, hoping to get away from the situation as quickly as possible.

"No, wait! You don't have to go." She said sweetly. "Walk with us. I'm sure Mia won't mind." She turned her puppy dog eyes on Mia, and I wondered how anyone could resist anything she asked.

But Mia's face showed the distaste I knew would be there. Not only was I not even on the same chart of popularity as them, but Mia was also one of the people that believed I was an abusive douche because of what happened with my father.

"No, that's all right. I really should get going." I refused quickly, knowing that if I didn't the walk would be incredibly awkward, walking backward as I said so.

I stole one last glance at Rose before departing down the hall.

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**D'aww, what did you guys think of the DPOV? Don't forget to let me know of any POV's of certain chapters you want to see in the future; I'll do my best. Remember to keep reviewing - they really help me keep writing!**


	11. Chapter 10: Concessions of a Best Friend

**Thanks to** DhamphiricAngel2014, VladMorgendorffer, Jessica Ozera, TheCoffeeShopMuse, XxxRosmitrixxX, Victoria Marie Dragomir, Katie99mo, Roza1229, and heulwenjuliet** for reviewing.**

** Special shout out to **huelwenjuliet**, a new reviewer, and **DhamphiricAngel2014**, who seriously needs to get out of my head. It's actually kind of scary.**

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**ROSE**

The next morning, I, thankfully, woke up early enough to go to breakfast. I quickly found the table and sat down. Everyone except the Natalie Dashkov I'd been told so much about was present.

"Hey Rosie." Christian smirked at me.

"Chrissy, you know I hate it when you call me Rosie. And I might just need a partner for this self-defense class I'm taking…" I trailed off suggestively.

I had the pleasure of watching him pale slightly before he replied in all his snark: "Self-defense? Rose, you punched a kid for taking your cookie at the Model United Nations Conference when we were 12. I wouldn't call that _defense_."

"You mess with my food, you mess with me." I said, only half kidding.

"Ain't that the truth." Adrian said. "I remember I started reaching for some of her fries at this business dinner, and I ended up on the floor in all sorts of pain."

I smirked as everyone laughed. "Well, it's true. Lissa is probably the only one who could get away with taking my food. Not that she ever would; she's too nice for that."

Lissa smiled angelically "Even I wouldn't dare get between Rose and her food." I chucked a biscuit at her.

"Wow, Rose, I'm surprised to find you wasting food like that." Ivan commented with a snort.

"Deciding whether to cause someone bodily harm with, or to eat food must be a difficult decision for Rose." Mia inputted, smirking.

We bantered easily throughout the rest of breakfast, and again I thought about how nice and easy going they all were. Perhaps I could get them to let go of their misconceptions about Dimitri. But first I'd have to get to know him myself.

As people started standing up and making their way to class, I took the opportunity. "Hey, Liss, can you walk with me? I still need help finding my class." I asked.

"Sure…" she replied, puzzled, because she knew I had already memorized the school layout from when she gave me a tour before. But no one else knew that.

"So, Liss…" I began nervously

"Oh spit it out already. You know I'll cave to whatever you ask." She said with a very non-Lissa smirk.

I took a deep breath before just spitting it out, as she said.

"I want to sit with Dimitri at lunch tomorrow." I took in her stunned face and rushed to continue.

"I know you guys don't want him at your table, and that's fine, I'll just sit with him during lunch, and with you guys during breakfast and stuff."

"Rose…" she began "I think you should."

"I promise he won't replace you guys – I just want to really meet him. Liss, he's really not that- Wait what?"

She smiled at me, knowing how shocked I was.

"I never really believed those nasty rumors about him anyways, and I've seen how he opens up around you. I don't think I've seen Belikov smile as much as he was when he was walking with you yesterday. Hell, I don't think I've seen him smile, ever."

"Wait, you saw that?" I asked, incredulous.

"Yep."

"And you didn't try to stop it?"

"Rose, like I said, I think you're good for each other."

I stood there, mouth open as she walked away snickering, us having reached the door of my class.

I walked in, and was about to go sit with Dimitri, when I realized that, while Lissa might approve of me branching out to Dimitri, others in the group might not, so I should probably wait until lunch.

I walked over to my customary seat next to Mason and sat down.

He looked deep in thought, so to break him out of his haze as I sat down I said "Hey Mase, wipe the drool off your face. Now is not the best time to be thinking about me naked." He looked up and blushed immediately, whether because my statement was a bit too accurate for him, or just from me saying it so bluntly, I'll never know.

"It's always a good time to think about you naked, Hathaway." He responded with a wink.

For the rest of the passing time before the teacher came, I focused on happily chatting with him and forcing my eyes not to roam to the back of the room where a certain someone sat.

**DIMITRI**

I walked into AP Literature and, after a few minutes, saw Rose and Mason sitting together as usual. Jealousy once again reared its ugly head as I watched them interact so easily and openly, as well as bitterness for my situation. No one cared about me, hell, no one knew me. The next classes went by in a similarly predictable manner, and I walked through in a daze, not in the mood to pay any attention.

When I got to AP Government, I wondered if Rose would sit with me again today. I still wasn't completely convinced that I hadn't just daydreamed the entire encounter. But what put the last of my doubts clear out of my head was Rose walking in, smiling at _me_. She came and sat next to me like it was the most natural thing in the world and we struck up easy conversation, like we always do.

We talked about our hobbies, interests, and aspirations, and I found a little bit of hope rising in my chest. If someone like Rose could pay attention to me, maybe I wasn't so bad, after all.

I told her about how I loved to cook and bake, having grown up in a house full of women. I confided that I wanted to become an author or try to play football professionally, both of which were usually met with scoffs. I even told her why, or part of it – something I had never told anyone. About how playing football had given me the strength and confidence to stand up to bullies, so now no one dared cross me. At least physically.

She listened to all of this with rapt attention, like what I had to say was important. No one had ever made me feel like that before. Not anyone in this school, and certainly not my father. I couldn't deny that my feelings were passed a slight crush and quickly moving towards completely enamored. Rose made me feel better just by being around me and talking to me, and everything between us felt so natural.

In turn, she told me about how she had wanted to become a lawyer, or a political science major, but, recently, she had been wanting to screw it and start a self defense studio.

For a moment I imagined a future, with Rose and I and our newly opened dojo. We'd train side by side and-

_How about you get her to talk to you outside of school first._ I thought ruefully, cutting myself off.

We continued our discussion until class began. After class, I mumbled goodbye right away, disappointed at leaving, but knowing she'd have someone from her posse on her as soon as she walked out the door.

"See you!" She called after me with a big smile.

**ROSE**

I was disappointed when Dimitri left right after class, but I figured this way I could surprise him. Lissa had talked to the rest of the group and fed them some story, convincing them that I thought it was pathetic how Dimitri sat alone, and would sit next to him during lunch because I pitied him. I was just grateful for the opportunity without the backlash, even if it had to come with lies. _For now_, I reminded myself, as I made my way to the dining hall.

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**You hate me, I know. But think of it this way, if I get some reviews, you'll be seeing the next chapter very, very soon. Even if you don't have an account, guests reviews are also awesome and great incentive to write the next chapter.**


	12. Chapter 11: Into the Unknown

**Here is the much anticipated Chapter 11! _Drumroll please…_**

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**ROSE**

I took a deep breath, standing in front of the doors to the dining hall. I wasn't nervous at all about the rest of the school's reaction. Screw what they think. No, I was nervous about _his_ reaction. What if he didn't want me there? What if he only talked to me to keep me from pestering him? What if- I cut myself off there. The ever-confident Rose Hathaway-Mazur was not going to be brought down by a single cowboy – no matter how attractive, and no matter how much my fledgling feelings for him had been growing the past few days. So, without further ado, I opened the cafeteria doors and walked in.

I pretended everything was normal for as long as I could, getting in line and loading my tray as usual. I began to walk in the direction of my table. Except, instead of stopping there, I continued past it, toward the back of the room.

I heard several gasps as I passed the table. This was primetime news at St. Vlad's. The popular group's new golden girl giving up a spot at her table in favor of someone else: scandalous.

But that was nothing compared to the reaction once people realized where I was headed. I heard the murmurs as I passed.

The athletic kids sat at first table I walked by:

_She's going to sit with Belikov? What the hell; since when are they in the same league?_

_I'm happy for him man, he's chill in practice._

_Lucky bastard. _

Shane even high-fived me as I walked past, and Meredith gave me an approving nod.

The whispers, however, got more aggressive from there. As I walked by the rich kids' table I heard Camille babbling, speaking as if she were my best friend and privy to confidential information.

_-Probably pities him. No way Rose is going to sit with _him _for no reason._

_Please, girls like Rose and guys like Dimitri just aren't on the same level. Plain and simple._

_What does he have that I don't? _I heard Jesse mutter, looking down at himself, and I had to contain a laugh.

But the rest of the mutterings and whining faded away as I looked at Dimitri. He looked absolutely stunned, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging slightly open.

"Close your mouth; flies might get in." I said with a smirk as I approached him. "Mind if I sit here?"

He seemed to snap out of his daze then.

"Of course." He said quickly, gesturing to the empty seat across from him at his little two-seater table. I sat down with my tray, but I could tell he was still processing it, so I waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts.

"But…why?" He finally asked after a few minutes. He coughed, and, realizing that wasn't a full question, amended it. "Why are you sitting with me, I mean?"

"You don't want me to?" I asked, jokingly, with a pout.

"No, no, of course not. It's just that, well, why would you sit here when you could sit with them?" He asked gesturing to the table where my friends sat.

"Dimitri, I'm sitting with you because you seem like a genuine, funny, sweet person, and I want to get to know you." I said honestly.

He smiled a full smile, the first I'd seen from him and I knew it would have made my knees weak had I been standing up. "Well then, we better get started."

We talked through lunch after that, mainly about his family. He had just finished telling me about the time Viktoria got angry that Karolina wouldn't let her borrow a shirt, and glued all of her shampoo bottles shut.

I saw such fondness and a spark in his eyes when he talked about his family that only made him more handsome.

"How often do you see your family?" I asked, partly to keep myself from drooling. I knew that he slept in the dormitories, but his mother commuted every day, so he couldn't live too far.

"I got home every weekend, and some nights during the week when I feel like it. I love going home, but it's much easier to concentrate when you don't have three sisters to annoy you."

"That sounds really nice." I said wistfully, knowing that with the length of the flight to Turkey I wouldn't be going back much.

Apparently, my act of sitting with him brought him a burst of confidence, because what he said next was entirely unexpected for the self-conscious boy.

"Actually, my Mama is having some of her friends over late tonight, and she needs help cooking, so I was going to go home to help her. But, well, my Babushka says two sets of hands are better than one. And well, I guess what I'm trying to say is – would you like to come?"

He held his breath, fidgeting nervously. Adorable wasn't a word one usually applied to a 6'5" Russian, football badass, but that was all I could think when he was looking at me like that.

"I'd love to." I said with a smile. "I like to cook and bake, though I'm not too good at it."

"Well, you won't have to worry about that. Mama taught me her famous black bread recipe two years and I've had plenty of practice."

"A man in the kitchen is all sorts of attractive." I said in a teasing tone, adding a wink to the end. I had the satisfaction of watching his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. "So what time will you be picking me up tonight,_ monsieur_?"

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**Do you want a DPOV of this in the next chapter? ****Did it live up to expectations? Did I do it justice? Anything you wanted to be different?**

**S/O:**

**Thanks to my new reviewers: **Jojo (Guest)/Aj (Guest), BaMbY666, Kay1a, and readingaddict-loverA.

**And to my long-time reviewers: **EarthChild97, XxxRosmitrixxX, Jessica Ozera, DhampiricAngel2014, Victoria Marie Dragomir, Roza1229, and justmeanyways.

**You guys are the reason I'm writing!**


	13. Chapter 12: Take a Chance

**Oh my god guys I'm squealing over all the reviews! As requested, here's the DPOV of the lunchroom scene!**

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**DIMITRI**

I sighed as I sat down at my habitual table in the back of the dining hall. It was now that it really hit me how alone I was every day, as I watched groups of friends clustered together, talking and laughing. Instead of thinking about it, I focused on the fact that I would be going home tonight.

Being with my family never failed to make me feel better; they didn't avoid me or judge me for what happened 4 years ago like everyone else. I only ever felt like I could be myself around them. _And someone el_\- I cut that thought off immediately as I watched its source walk in the room.

I sighed and refocused on my food, trying to push my lachrymose mood away, when loud gasps filled the room. I looked up to find Rose had passed her own table. I watched with mild curiosity. For whom would she be willing to give up her spot at lunch as the golden girl?

With a start, I realized that she was headed straight for my tiny table near the back doors. I was shocked – why would she sit with _me_? Unfortunately, everyone else realized this at the same time. I cringed inwardly as I heard them whisper:

_-Not good enough to sit with her. _

_-Only bring her down._

_-Would never see anything in _him_._

I could deal with them putting me down; I was used to it. In fact, I'd been ignoring the comments with good success until I heard something that made my blood boil:

_-Check her for bruising tomorrow…just in case._

I shuddered internally at the thought of laying a hand on a woman, much less Roza.

But the rest of the mutterings and whining faded away as I looked at Rose. She looked so confident, so poised, as she passed through the throngs, not sparing a single glance towards their mumblings.

She then approached my table, teasing me about my shocked expression, then asked if she could have a seat. _As if I'd say no._ She looked and sounded so assured that this was perfectly normal, that I found myself relaxing as well.

"Of course." I said quickly, offering her the only other chair at the table, directly across from me. She sat down with a surprisingly loaded tray, then waited tolerantly while I got over my surprise.

"But…why?" I finally asked after a few minutes. I coughed, embarrassed, realizing that I had made no sense. "Why are you sitting with me, I mean?"

"You don't want me to?" She pouted. It could barely keep myself from leaning across the table and- _Focus, Dimitri_.

"No, no, of course not. It's just that, well, why would you sit here when you could sit with them?" I rambled, still slightly off-balanced by her pout.

"Dimitri, I'm sitting with you because you seem like a genuine, funny, sweet person, and I want to get to know you." She said so sweetly.

_What in the world have I done in a past life to deserve this? Maybe I donated a lot of money to an orphanage?_

We started talking easily, and I began telling her about my family.

"And then, Karo comes running out of the bathroom in a towel, soaking wet, screaming at Viktoria. Vikka just ran out to the backyard to get away from her."

I said with a chuckle. "We found the superglue in her room the next day."

"How often do you see your family?" Rose asked interestedly.

"I go home every weekend, and some nights during the week when I feel like it. I love being home, but it's much easier to concentrate when you don't have three sisters to annoy you."

"That sounds really nice." She said, adopting a melancholy look.

All I could think was that I didn't want to see her sad, that I never wanted to see her sad again. It was that darned wistful look that made me say what I said next.

"Actually, my Mama is having some of her friends over late tonight, and she needs help cooking, so I was going to go home to help her. But, well, my Babushka says two sets of hands are better than one. And well, I guess what I'm trying to say is – would you like to come?"

It was true, Mama was having a few of her friends over, but it was hardly something to prepare a feast for, and not something my sisters and I would usually attend.

The next few seconds may have been the longest of my life. Oh god, oh god, why did I say that? Of course she wouldn't want to come over, she's just here out of pity and her incredible kindness, and selflessness. Selflessness so deep I had no doubt she'd give up anything for those she-

"I'd love to." She cut off my inner monologue with a smile. "I like to cook and bake, though I'm not too good at it."

_No, _built_ an orphanage. I definitely at least built an orphanage._

Perhaps we could cook first, then take a walk until she went back to school.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that. Mama taught me her famous black bread recipe two years and I've had plenty of practice." I assured her, hoping to keep the light, happy atmosphere.

"A man in the kitchen is all sorts of attractive." Her was tone teasing, but that didn't stop me from swallowing loudly when she winked at me. "So what time will you be picking me up tonight,_ monsieur_?"

_Correction: a lot of orphanages. I built a_ whole lot _of orphanages. _

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	14. Chapter 13: Dimka's Wife

**DIMITRI**

I was cursing my burst of confidence as I splashed water on my face for the fifth time. It was 4:50 pm, and I was trying to work up the courage to pick up Roza from her dorm at 5:00 pm like I promised her this afternoon. I had on a button up and dark wash jeans, and I had splashed on a bit more of my aftershave. Girls liked the smell of that, right?

Finally, I told myself to man up. She had agreed to come, hadn't she? That must mean I was doing _something_ right. So, with that thought in mind, I made my way towards the female dorms and her room, checking my watch as I walked. 4:56. I may have stood in front of her door for almost a full minute, debating different knocking styles, before finally simply knocking firmly three times.

After a few moments, Rose opened the door, and I couldn't help my sharp inhale. She looked absolutely gorgeous. She was wearing a ruffled white blouse tucked into tight, black pants and matching black flats. The outfit showed off the shape of her curves, but was not revealing or skimpy. Her hair was set in loose curls that flowed over her shoulders, tempting me to find out if they were as soft as they looked.

"Hey." She said with a small smile.

"Hey yourself." I replied with my own. For the first time since I'd met her, Rose looked almost nervous. "Ready to go?"

I offered her my arm and she giggled lightly before taking it. I almost melted at the sound.

I led her to my car, a used Kia Forte, and opened the passenger door for her. It wasn't flashy or expensive, but it was safe and got me to and from school, so I couldn't ask for anything better.

"How chivalrous." She joked, fluttering her eyelashes mockingly, as she stepped into the car gracefully.

"My Mama and older sisters made sure to raise me that way." I said with a shrug, taking my own seat.

I started to drive the familiar route to my house as Rose spoke. "So, master chef, what's the plan for today?"

I laughed at the nickname, but ignored it, replying seriously.

"Mama wanted us to make the black bread. We can make a little extra so we can steal a few pieces and take them out to the porch."

"Sounds good. I totally took you for a porch kind of guy."

"Oh, really?" I prompted her.

"Yeah, the whole looking onto the world philosophically from a rocking chair while you ponder the implications of our existence. Good to know my assessment was correct." She teased with a smirk.

I refuted her claim, and we continued to banter about whether or not I was deep-thinking, coffee drinking, star-gazer for the rest of the ride. I decided not to put on any music, because the sound of her voice sounded better than any radio station would. The smile never strayed far from my face, and the drive felt much shorter than usual.

But as we pulled up to my house, my nervousness returned tenfold. What if she didn't like my house? What if she didn't like my family? I had never brought a girl home before, and, despite the fact that I wasn't bringing her home _that way_ (but oh how I wished I was) it was still nerve-wracking.

"So, welcome…" I said, walking up the path with her. "It's not much, but it's home."

"It's incredible." She said, smiling widely, and I could tell from the look in her eyes that she meant it.

We stood knocking on the door, and Mama opened the door suddenly. "Oh, Dimka, welcome home!" She exclaimed, enveloping me in a big hug.

"And you must be Roza." She turned to Rose with a warm smile. "I remember you from the beginning of the year."

"It's nice to see you, Headmistress Belikova." Rose said politely.

"Oh, call me Olena outside of school, dear." Mama said, hugging her as well, before ushering us in.

"I've heard so much about you. I remember Dimka was gushing about ho…"

"_Mama_" I hissed, cutting her off, knowing she would fully embarrass me if I didn't.

"Oh, right." She gave me a conspiratorial wink. "Well, she really is beautiful, Dimka."

I had to refrain from burying my head in my hands, settling for turning my head so she wouldn't see the blush building in my cheeks.

"I'll just let you two get started in the kitchen." She said before leaving. "I have to pick up a few more things, but I'll be back soon. Your sisters should be upstairs."

I turned to Rose, laughing nervously. "I'm sorry about that…God, that's so embarrassing" I apologized.

"It's no problem – isn't that what all parents do?" She assured me, laughing.

I was saved from having to respond when Viktoria came downstairs.

"Hi, you're Roza, right?" She confirmed. Without warning, she pulled Rose into one of her famously tight hugs. "I'm glad you finally came over. I was beginning to think you were imaginary, with the way he wouldn't shut up about-"

"Uh, hey Vika, maybe we should get Roza something to drink." I cut her off hurriedly. She could be worse than Mama when she set about embarrassing me.

Thankfully, she nodded, accepting easily. Too easily. After all, I hadn't missed her smirk as we entered the kitchen. I got us some water, before Viktoria asked for some help with something quick in the other room. I didn't believe a word out of her mouth, but followed her anyway.

She led me to Mama's room, before ignoring me and turning to a few dusty boxes. I was beginning to get impatient, but a few moments later she turned around, a positively malicious smile splitting her face in two.

Seeing what she held in her hands, I gasped, blanching.

"You wouldn't." I growled at Vika in Russian. "Oh, I think we both know I would, dear brother." She replied haughtily. She was waving a thick pile around victoriously. "Look at all this material right here…It's just been begging to be used." She taunted further. I was now glaring at the pile in her hand as if it could catch fire simply by my gaze. "Vika, please." I pleaded, exasperated.

"You haven't brought a friend home in years, and never a girl. This one must be special." She continued as if I had not said anything. "Let's see just how special she is," and flounced away from me with a wicked smirk.

"Oh, _Roza_!" She called merrily.

I groaned, following dutifully behind. As I entered the kitchen I found them both already immersed in a couple of pictures.

"-And he was so desperate to play with us that he was willing to be married off to our dolls. All of them. So, technically, he's in a polygamous relationship with 7 women. You should probably run now."

Roza laughed. "I think I'm keeping this one." She gestured of a picture of me dressed in my Sunday best, locking lips with a small, brown-haired doll, before snapping a picture of it herself.

I coughed uncomfortably "So, uh, maybe we should start on the bread. If Vika's done embarrassing me, that is." I said with a pointed glare at her.

"Oh, not nearly done, but you guys go ahead. I'll tell Roza the rest of the stories later." She said with a wink.

The minute she was out of the room, Rose burst into laughter. I groaned and buried my face in a pillow off the couch.

"Come on, Comrade, that bread isn't gonna bake itself." Smirking, she led the way to the kitchen.

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**This was my first try at writing true fluff, so how'd I do? Also, did anyone catch my Harry Potter reference?**

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	15. Chapter 14: Flour, My Flower

**Woah, we hit 100 reviews! Thank you guys so much for your support. Well, on with the chapter!**

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**ROSE**

We began working diligently, and I was in awe at the ease in which he maneuvered around the kitchen. He went through the recipe looking more like a professional chef than a teenaged boy. He assembled the ingredients, and I noted that he knew his way around the kitchen, seeming very comfortable with what he was doing.

Dimitri handed me a few ingredients, telling me how much to add and then to whisk them, while he took a few others over to the stove with a saucepan. After we added our mixtures together, it began to form a doughy substance.

I found myself staring at his back, watching his muscles ripple beneath his tight shirt as he kneaded the dough. How the rest of the female population in the school hadn't noticed how attractive he was yet, I would never understand.

He gave me a few more tasks to do, and we worked side by side in the comfortable silence I had only with Dimitri. No words were spoken, but they weren't needed; being around each other was enough. We somehow seemed to move around each other naturally, as if instinctively knowing what the other wanted and where in the kitchen they were going.

I reached up to grab one of the mixing spoons Dimitri said were on the top shelf, but I couldn't reach it. I stretched my arm up, standing on my tip toes, when I heard a slight displacement of air behind me. I smelled his aftershave before I heard him.

"Let me help you get that." He said, and I was inwardly pleased that his voice was slightly husky from being pressed against my back. I couldn't help the small shiver that ran through me at his more heavily accented voice. He reached above me, grabbing the spoon with ease. I turned around to take it from him, but my thanks died on my lips as I realized just how close we were.

We were standing almost nose to nose, his eyes staring into mine. They were like deep pools of chocolate and held so much unconcealed emotion I found myself getting lost in them. His breath fanned my lips and I felt where goose bumps rose on both of our arms from them brushing.

His eyes flicked down to my lips, and my tongue darted out reflexively to lick them. I saw his eyes darken in reaction. If either of us leaned in just a little more-

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

The oven chimed, announcing that it had preheated to the temperature we specified. Startled, I quickly jumped away from Dimitri, immediately feeling the chill of his absence.

He looked down and coughed shyly. I gave him a half-hearted smile in response, still shaken, while going back to my task of stirring the mix.

_Damn oven timer._

We began to work quietly once more, though this silence was more uneasy than the previous one had been. I hated this feeling of awkwardness between us, but I didn't know what to do about it. I had just placed the bread in the oven, when a coy idea to break the discomfort entered my mind. I made my way over to the counter, innocently cleaning up some of our supplies, Dimitri coming over to help me.

I casually reached for the flour bag.

"Oops" I said with an impish grin as I saw the white streak across his cheek, courtesy of the handful of flour I'd just thrown at him.

He kept his face blank, but I caught the mischievous glint in his eye just before a line of butter found its way from my forehead to the tip of my nose. "My bad." He retorted, grinning, as he turned back around to the refrigerator. That was his first mistake; I wasn't one to take things lying down.

I continued to work innocently, but after a few moments, I put my plan into action. "Dimitri, I think I need some help with this." I called, picking up an egg behind my back. "Sure, Roz-" and just as he turned around it found its target on his face. His face had a look of absolute disbelief, and that, combined with the steady dripping of egg yolk down his face, had me doubled over in laughter.

"Oh, that's it." He growled playfully with a predatory glint in his eyes that made my knees go weak. I may have melted right into the ground, had he not immediately pinned me to the counter, his hands going just below my ribcage. I squealed loudly, gasping for breath.

"No, Dimitri!" I tried to yell, but it came out as a squeak. He continued to tickle me as I fell to the ground, him following to continue his torture. "Okay, okay, truce!" I pleaded.

"Hmm, I don't know…" He said cheekily as I continued to giggle. Giggle! Rose Hathaway-Mazure does not _giggle_.

"Do you promise not to tell anyone about the pictures Vika showed you?" He was trying to sound stern, but the slight curve of his lips and the amusement in his eyes gave him away.

"I promise, I promise!" I gasped out. He finally relented, collapsing into fits of laughter himself.

Both of us lay gasping for breath until our stomachs ached, coated in flour, butter, and an egg. He was on his side, propped up onto his left elbow, while I was on my back, my right arm folded behind my head. My hair had been swept messily into my face, and I saw his hand twitch as if wanting to push it back.

I waited with baited breath as, a few moments later, his right hand reached over to tuck the strand behind my ear. We were now staring into each others eyes like those romantic comedies Lissa loved to watch and I loved to make fun of.

And, to my luck, that was exactly when his mother walked in.

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**What do you think Olena's reaction will be? Let me know in the reviews!**


	16. Chapter 15: A Lovely Time

**DIMITRI**

Once we got in the kitchen, I started organizing the ingredients. I was comfortable in the kitchen like I was comfortable around no one else. Well, until now.

I set about assigning Rose her own task while I put some of the ingredients over a low flame. I had a lot of practice making this bread, and it always relaxed me. Now, working with Rose by my side in a comfortable silence, I felt the cathartic effects so much more. We didn't speak, but we didn't need to. We just knew each other that well.

At one point Rose reached up to grab a stirring spoon from the top cabinet. I already knew she wouldn't reach, so I quickly made my way over to help her get it. What I didn't account for, however, was the fact that this caused my body to press up against hers. I could feel all of her soft curves and smell the shampoo she used on her hair.

"Let me help you get that." I offered, cursing inwardly when my voice came out husky.

But if that tested my self-control, what happened next just about obliterated it. Rose quickly turned around to take the spoon from me, but in doing so put us chest to chest, nose to nose.

I looked into her gorgeous eyes and felt like I was staring right through her. Time stopped as I simply looked at her. Her hair draped over my arm, just as silky as I had remembered from the infirmary. The hair that I had dreamed of stroking since then. That and kissing those lips that looked like silk. My eyes flickered just there, and I saw her tongue dart out to lick them. I swallowed nervously, but my lust overpowered by apprehension.

Her breath was on my lips, beckoning me closer, and I had just decided I couldn't disobey-

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

The oven timer I had set earlier chose precisely that moment to make its presence known.

Rose immediately jumped away from me, looking startled, which stung. I covered it up, looking down and giving a slightly awkward cough, and Rose gave me a half-hearted smile.

Inwardly, I was disappointed. She must not feel the same as I do, because if she had she wouldn't have jumped away so quickly. But then again she hadn't moved at first. Maybe if we had stood there for a few more seconds I would have known her feelings for me for sure.

_Damn oven timer._

I could feel the awkwardness between us as we went back to work, but I didn't know what to do about it; I was hopeless in social situations. The opposite of Rose. Rose put the bread in the oven, and we started cleaning up side by side, when all of a sudden, white powder covered my face.

"Oops." Rose said, as I looked at her, bewildered. It was obvious that this was not an accident.

I quickly schooled my face into a mask of indifference so she wouldn't be warned before I dipped my finger in a small pad of butter and drew a line from her forehead to the tip of her nose.

"My bad." I grinned at her. I turned back to the fridge to finish cleaning up, pleased with my retaliation.

We continued to work, and I figured that would be the end of this. Oh how wrong I was.

"Dimitri, I think I need some help with this." Rose called. Of course, I turned immediately to help her. And was met with an egg directly in my face. The disbelief I was feeling must have shown on my face, because Rose began howling with mirth.

"Oh, that's it." I growled, stalking toward her like prey, pinning her to the counter. I tickled just below her ribcage, guessing she might be ticklish there. It seemed I was right when she squealed loudly, gasping for breath.

"No, Dimitri!" She squeaked, but I didn't relent.

"Okay, okay, truce!" She begged.

"Hmm, I don't know…" I said smirking at her. "Do you promise not to tell anyone about the pictures Vika showed you?" I said, trying to sound stern, but unable to help the twitching of at the corners of my lips. I was killing two birds with one stone.

"I promise, I promise!" She gasped out. And, finally, I relented, though I was unable to keep my laughter in any more after seeing the look of pure relief that crossed over her face.

Both of us lay gasping for breath until our stomachs ached, coated in flour, butter, and an egg. I lied down on my side, propped on my elbow just gazing at her lying on her back, her cheeks flushed pink from laughing, eyes sparkling, and her lips pursed together invitingly as if barely keeping herself from laughing. There was a sprinkling of flour across her cheeks, a few lines of butter coating her face, and her hands were covered in egg. She was magnificent. Her hair was swept messily into her face, and I longed to brush back and run my fingers through it. That hair would be the death of me.

Finally, I looked back at her eyes, this time looking into them, and found myself unable to glance away – so gorgeous were those orbs of brown. I could no longer control my hands, as the reached over to wrap a few strands of that stunning hair around my index finger.

And that was precisely the moment Mama walked in.

"Oh, I'd hate to interrupt." Mama said with a huge, bright smile, and a surreptitious wink sent my way. I almost groaned. Could they make it any more obvious that I hadn't brought a friend, let alone a girl, home since I was twelve? "No, no…continue. I'll just be going to check on your Babushka."

She walked out of the room, smiling like she had just won the lottery, and we both got up quickly. To my horror, a blush crept up my cheeks.

"Um, could you show me the bathroom?" Rose asked after a moment, probably to get away from me, I thought sadly. But, at least it would save me from my embarrassment for a little. She gestured to her adorably messy arms and face.

"Of course." I answered softly, leading the way down the hall before returning to the kitchen.

While she was gone, I cleaned up the mess, knowing Mama wouldn't be quite as thrilled if we left it as it was. I tried to keep my thoughts off of Rose and my disappointment, but it didn't quite work.

After a few minutes, the center of my thoughts came back in.

"Hey Comrade, wanna take a walk? I think if we're here another minute I might not be able to stop myself from jumping that bread." She smirked, confidently walking back into the kitchen, her earlier shyness apparently forgotten.

I laughed at the typicality of her impatience and also out of relief for the dissipation of the tenseness between us.

**ROSE**

"Oh, I'd hate to interrupt." Olena said with a huge, bright smile. Well, at least she wasn't going to chew us out. Wait why wasn't she going to chew us out? "No, no…continue. I'll just be going to check on your Babushka."

She walked out of the room, humming cheerfully, and we both sprang up. A blush was building on Dimitri's cheeks, but I just managed to keep mine down.

"Um, could you show me the bathroom?" I asked, gesturing to my messy arms and face. I needed a minute to compose myself. Thankfully, my clothes had been mostly spared.

"Of course." He answered quietly, leading the way down the hall before returning to the kitchen.

Leaning heavily against the counter, I tried to sort out my feelings for Dimitri. I definitely liked him more than a friend, but the entire school would be against our relationship. It was honestly exhausting trying to keep up pretenses, but it was important to Lissa to at least maintain an image of popularity. I would sacrifice that by being with Dimitri, as everyone knew we were best friends. I sighed heavily. This was beginning to get complicated.

After washing off what I could of the food, I left the bathroom, walking back to the kitchen, when an old lady stepped into my path. She grabbed my wrist with surprising strength and looked directly into my eyes.

"Есть два пути для вас. Позаботьтесь и выберите правильный, ибо без вы оба наверняка не." She said, rapidly. Before walking away, as if we'd just had a light conversation about the weather.

**("There are two paths for you. Take care and choose the correct one, for apart you will both surely fail.")**

I assumed this was Dimitri's grandmother, Yeva. From my limited Russian, I understood the word for two, choose, fail, and great light, though I could not make out what she'd meant at all. It was a bit creepy, so I decided to ignore it.

With a shrug I kept walking to the kitchen, trying to figure out how to act around Dimitri now. Ultimately, I decided nonchalance was the way to go for now.

"Hey Comrade, wanna take a walk? I think if we're here another minute I might not be able to stop myself from jumping that bread." I said. It was true, the bread smelt heavenly.

He laughed at my typical impatience, and like that the apprehension from earlier vanished.

We walked slowly around the neighborhood, as he told me about Baia, Russia where he grew up, and I told him about Ankara. We remised about our younger days; what school was like, who our friends were, and talked about what it felt like to move halfway across the world.

We also swapped stories of times knowing a second language had gotten us into trouble. I told him about when a guy tried to hit on me and I muttered something particularly vulgar, not realizing that someone else in the store could speak Turkish. That is, until an old lady whacked me upside the head.

He laughed, telling me how, when he first moved here, he tried to translate something directly from Russian to English and ended up saying something entirely inappropriate.

After a moment, I realized we had stopped in a small, clearing area. There were a bit of woods around, but the moon was high enough in the sky that you could see it clear over the pine trees. It was almost full and the light filtered in through the canopy easily. Since we were in a reasonably suburban area, most of the stars were visible.

"Beautiful." I breathed.

"Sure is." I heard Dimitri murmur, but when I looked over at him, he was gazing at me, not the sky.

We stayed there for a few minutes longer, time seeming not to exist, until Dimitri broke the spell, mumbling "Let's go back."

I nodded as we walked back in silence. Dimitri, ever the gentleman, insisted on driving me back to school. He walked me to the front doors, where we stood facing each other, both of us uncertain about what to do.

"I had a lovely time, Dimitri." I said, before leaning up to kiss his cheek.

I walked through the door without glancing back, certain that, if I did, he'd see the goofy grin on my face. The same smile that stayed on my face as I got ready for bed, and that refused to go away even as I fell asleep, dreaming of brown eyes and dusters.

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**So, what's the verdict on how their little 'date' went? Do you think it's all smooth sailing for Rose and Dimitri from here? (haha!) If not, what do you think will happen?**

**Review and Dimitri will take a walk with you. ;)**

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	17. Chapter 16: Natalie

**This chapter is dedicated to my new reviewers: russia2774, pheebes904, AlyDhampir, and Windwalker18. _Mwah_**

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Chapter Title Song:

_Natalie_

_She's probably out there thinking it's funny_

_Telling every o-o-ne_

_Look out for a pretty little thing named_

_Natalie_

Natalie – Bruno Mars

**ROSE**

"-And of course we have to paint your nails this lovely pink color!" Lissa squealed, holding up a baby pink that made me cringe after concluding a detailed description of the makeover we (_cough_ she _cough_) would give each person.

I thought back to when I decided to do this and wondered if it was such a good idea after all.

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_After I came back from hanging out with Dimitri – I purposefully refused to think the d word – I quickly made plans with Lissa. Her, Mia, Jill, and the last member of our group that I had yet to meet, Natalie, would be sleeping over in Natalie's room on Friday. I wanted to make sure I was not neglecting either my friends or Dimitri; they were both important parts of my life. So what if I had to keep them separate…for now? I could and would work around it._

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I had met Natalie earlier, and she was nice, if a little bit _off_. I wasn't sure what, exactly, set me on edge about her, but every once in a while she would look at me strangely. It was almost as if I was a complex puzzle she was trying to solve. The look on her face was like Adrian's when he was doing his math homework.

I brushed it off and resolved to simply have fun. Mia helped with that, immediately speaking up:

"So, did you guys see how Ivan totally shared his food with me at lunch today?"

"Mia, it doesn't count as sharing if you steal it, and then he says you can have it because you've already eaten it."

Lissa giggled, and I jumped on the topic immediately. "Ooh, fill me in. What's with you and Ivan?" I asked her.

"Well, nothing…yet. But I'm hoping there will be before the end of the year. He's just so gorgeous." She said, her eyes taking on a lustful glint. When she snapped back to reality, she turned to me again.

"Enough about me, though, have you got your eyes on anyone, Rose? How about Adrian - you two seem really cozy. Or Mason; he follows you around like a lapdog." She giggled.

"Ah, I'm not sure yet." I said, slightly uncomfortable now that it was turned on me. "Mason is more like a brother. Plus, him and Jill would be such a cute couple." I said.

Jill blushed scarlet, looking pleased. "You think so?" She asked. Lissa nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh, definitely." Natalie confirmed. "You're just perfect together."

"What about you, Natalie?" Jill asked.

"Well, Shane seems really sweet, and he's so good at football. But I don't know him that well...yet." She said, smiling.

"Shane Reyes?!" I had not seen that one coming.

She nodded, a half smile quirking at her lips.

The next portion of our night involved watching movies that made Lissa and Jill scream, while Mia and I made fun of them. Though, at one point I left to use the bathroom, and snuck up behind them as I returned. They were all snuggled up in blankets on the floor in front of Natalie's laptop, clinging to each other at the scarier bits.

I saw the stupid protagonist reach for the doorknob in the obviously haunted house, and crept closer.

"Boo!" I screamed, just as the door opened, and watched as they all shrieked and jumped up, including Mia, who had been among the most ardent of us when teasing Lissa and Jill. The bowl of popcorn went flying into the air.

The sight of a sullen Lissa, Mia, Natalie, and Jill in their pajamas with mussed hair, covered in bits of popcorn had me doubled over laughing. Mia threw a handful of popcorn at me, disgruntled, which quickly escalated into an all-out food fight.

After cleaning up the mess we made, we turned to karaoke, where Mia sang a hilariously terrible version of Maroon 5's One More Night and Lissa sang a surprisingly decent Counting Stars by One Republic.

Much later that night, we fell asleep curled up in various spots around the room, Lissa and I fighting for the blanket on her bed.

* * *

**MASON**

Eddie, Christian, Ivan, Adrian, and I had decided that, since the girls were having some sort of sleep over, we'd have a guys' night. We ended up ordering in pizza, and claiming one of the hang-out rooms for ourselves. The minute we stepped in and Ivan and Adrian announced we wanted to use it _alone_, everyone cleared out. It was the way of the school.

The boys and I were playing pool in the rec room, and Adrian had gotten us beers, when Christian opened up a common topic: bragging about our girls. Well, 'our' is a relative term. For Christian, it was accurate. For Adrian, Eddie, and I, 'our' meant that we were cowardly watching them from a distance and wanting to make a move. Ivan was silent, as always, claiming no one had caught his eye yet. We all shrugged and moved on.

Christian continued babbling about how Lissa was volunteering at the animal shelter and all her teachers loved her, and Eddie recounted how Mia braved the cold and snow – which she hated – to get him hot chocolate, when the conflict arose. At the same time, both Adrian and I interjected:

"Well, Rose is obviously-"

"Of course, my Rose is-"

We turned to look at each other, incredulously, which turned quickly to glaring.

"Hey, now" Ivan said, speaking up for the first time, stepping in between us to break the eye-contact. "I doubt she'd go out with either of you." He said, obviously to break the tension.

"Besides, glaring isn't going to help. Calm down, guys." He said, putting a hand on each of their shoulders.

We both conceded, letting it go. But now that I knew Adrian wanted Rose, I knew I'd have to make my move first, and soon.

Adrian may have known Rose for longer, but I _would_ have her.

* * *

****I'm not going to give anything away, but next chapter is a big one...****

**What did you guys think of the girls'/guys' nights? Mason's move on Rose? How ****painfully obvious it was how little I know about guys' nights? ******

**Please let me know; I love to read your thoughts and suggestions!**


	18. Chapter 17: Ivan's Story

**Many of you have been asking about Ivan. I think you have only seen one side of our blond friend, and it's time to see things from his perspective…**

* * *

**IVAN**

Smoke and dim lights were all I could see, my blinders up all the way. Girls hung over me, and I gave them attention hoping to get some of my own. Anything to forget.

The rest of my group of friends had come with me, but I left them behind, looking for something strong to drown out the memories that threatened to overpower me.

Seven years ago today was the day I found out that I was a coward.

I watched my friends from a dimly lit corner, clutching a clear bottle I'd found in my host's kitchen as if it were my lifeline. Tonight, it all but was.

Jill fawned over Mason, as he was deep in conversation with Rose. How Mason never seemed to realize how much Jill liked him, I would never know. I could tell Mason and Rose's conversation had flirty overtones, but didn't know if it meant anything, or if they were simply close friends.

I knew, however, that Dimitri was completely besotted with Rose. I quickly resolved to talk Mason into backing off. Perhaps it would erase some iota of my building guilt.

I had been doing this for four years; working behind the scenes, doing little things to help him out as much as I could. Yet, these things were infinitesimal in the face of the big picture. In the face of the hurt I'd inadvertently caused him.

He never knew his not-so-generous benefactor was me, or that he even had one other than fate, and it would stay that way.

On Rose's left, Adrian had his arms wrapped around her shoulders. I took a swig of the substance, enjoying the pain as it burned through my throat. I could tell Rose took the gesture in a brotherly way, but for Adrian it was much more. Nonetheless, I knew he would never say it out loud, only wait and watch from the wings until she reciprocated his feelings.

Lissa and Christian were standing together, talking to each other and – to a much lesser extent – Mia, who was distractedly scanning the crowd for something…or someone, while Eddie stood to her right.

At this, I quickly walked to a back room, picking up another drink on the way, and slumping against the wall. I wasn't much up for the partying itself, just the mind-numbing quality of it.

I knew of Mia's feelings for me; I'd have to be an idiot not to, but I never acted on them. For one, I didn't feel the same way toward her, and, for another, she deserved someone better than me. Someone that didn't hide from his cowardliness behind smoke and bottles.

The Belikovs and my family were quite close – we were always at one another's homes and treated each other like family. But I still remember the night it all changed for me.

I was walking home in very late after having spent most of the night at a friend's house. Normally, my parents would insist on picking me up, but because Baia was a nice, quiet neighborhood and it was just down the street, I walked.

I wish I hadn't walked.

I passed the Belikov house, idly glancing at the window to the kitchen. I knew Dimitri was sleeping at a friend's house tonight, so I was surprised to find the kitchen lights on so late at night. I knew Olena liked to sleep early, and Demyan couldn't cook for his life, so that alone made me pause.

I looked into the window and gasped at the sight. Olena was leaning heavily back against the counter, while Demyan stood over her, fist raised. She flinched and turned her head as her eyes met mine. I knew I would remember the look in her eyes for as long as I lived. They were a mix of fear and despair and determination that almost brought me to my knees with the amount of emotion they held, and, even at ten years old, I understood exactly what was happening.

So I ran. Afraid to face the realization that Demyan Belikov wasn't the loving husband and father I'd thought he was. That Olena wasn't as happy as she pretended to be. That Dimitri's house might not be as perfect as I thought it was.

After _the Belikov incident_, as I'd come to call it in my mind, I steered clear of Dimitri. The guilt I bore was too much; I couldn't look him in the eyes without seeing Olena's – full of terror. I could have stopped that, yet I kept walking.

I managed to get out of going with my father when he went to visit with various excuses, and when I couldn't I avoided him entirely. He seemed to accept our growing apart easily, as we were both growing up and changing.

_I wonder how things would be different if I had the nerve to simply tell him_, I thought bitterly, wading through the crowd once more. _We could have gotten help earlier._

Despite avoiding Dimitri, I often saw him in the halls of our decently sized middle school, as he was quite popular. He always had a group of close friends - all boys, as we had still been in the phase where we thought the opposite gender had cooties.

When I was thirteen, and we were in eight grade, I found out through my dad that Dimitri had stood up to Demyan – I couldn't even call him his father, beating him up and kicking him out of the house. My father hadn't known Demyan was abusive, nor had the rest of my family. When I found out how Dimitri had bravely stood up to his own father while I had been cowering weakly, I distanced myself even more from any mention of the brown-haired boy.

This would prove to be difficult, however, because my father soon announced that we, along with the Belikovs, would be moving to America. They needed to escape any reminders of the abusive Demyan, and my mother's brother lived in Montana. We went there, and they sent us both to St. Vladimir's together.

I finally made it through the door and started walking back to school, hiding my drinks on the way, and thanking god I wasn't already too inebriated to make it back and up to my room.

It turned out I had been worrying for naught. Avoiding Dimitri wasn't difficult, after all; he had been ostracized by everyone else as soon as some rumors went around from Dawn Yarrow about what he had done to his father. I had no idea where Dawn had found out from, but I cornered him after school that week, and ended up breaking his arm. When people questioned my motives later, I cited some insignificant incident where he had accidentally done something to annoy me. That was also the day I got my badass reputation and rose quickly in the ranks of popularity, while Dimitri dwindled at the bottom of the food chain.

Going up to my dorm, I spread out the drinks I'd gotten from the party, along with the artillery I'd stocked up for this night, drinking to feel the burn. Drinking to shut up my conscience. Drinking to obscure the memories. Drinking to forget.

Because, seven years later, I couldn't help thinking that the reason Dimitri's life had been and still was so messed up was me.

* * *

***BAM!* Were any of you expecting that? What are your thoughts on the Ivan plot-twist?**


	19. Chapter 18: Offers

**Thank you so much for your reviews and feedback about the Ivan plot twist. Many of you are conflicted about Ivan, and that means last chapter did its job. _Mwuahahaha _**

* * *

_Time lapse: One month. It is now late October._

**ROSE**

"Hey, Rose!" Mason called as I was walking into the dining hall.

I nodded at him with a smile. "Hey, Mase. What's up?"

He slung an arm around my shoulder casually as we walked. We had become increasingly close friends, so I didn't shrug it off, instead letting his arm rest there.

"Me and some of the others want to hang out this Friday. You up for it?"

"Sure." I agreed easily, as I began loading my tray with food alongside him. I wanted to make sure I didn't neglect my friends for Dimitri, because they were nice regardless of their opinion of him.

"But, uh, Mase? I know some of you guys don't agree with me hanging out with Dimitri and I don't want to-"

"It's all good – only people that are cool with it will be there, and we all still like you, Rose. Regardless of who you choose to hang out with." He reassured me with a soft smile that I returned. Mason was such an easy friend to have.

We talked and laughed in line for the food, and I waved at him as I went to sit with Dimitri, and he to his usual table.

As I sat down, I saw Dimitri glowering at Mason's back. He was jealous, I realized, which was silly; he had nothing to be jealous of. Mason and I were just like siblings.

"Hey," I said, smiling brightly at him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Hi, Rose." He said, returning my smile. "How's Russian?" he teased.

I groaned. He knew, because I often complained about how difficult his native language was, that the answer was not good.

"I understand." He said "French has been going much the same way for me."

I laughed, "Well, at least I have something to tease you about now, Russian. I'm semi-fluent in French."

We continued to tease the other about their deficiencies in language-learning, when Dimitri suddenly looked at the wall across the room. His hand found the back of his neck, where his thumb rubbed circled in the indent there – a sure sign of nervousness, as I'd come to find.

"Ah, well, since you know French and I know Russian, maybe we could study together this Friday." He phrased it as a statement, but his uncertain tone made it a question.

Dimitri and I had been talking a lot during lunch, AP Government, and in the hallways sometimes, but neither of us had worked up the courage to invite the other somewhere after school hours after the time we had made black bread in his house.

"I actually have plans on Friday, but Saturday should work for me." I said. He gave an almost imperceptible glance toward Mason when I mentioned my plans Friday.

"I'm hanging out with some friends then." I put emphasis on the word friends. I didn't know why it was so important to me that he realize I wasn't dating Mason. Okay, so I did, but I was in deep denial.

His expression seemed to lighten a bit at that.

"Okay, you can come over Saturday around lunch time?"

"I'm looking forward to it." I grinned.

* * *

**UNKNOWN**

"Yes, our infiltrator has been implanted successfully with Target 1." A rough voice on the other end of the line confirmed.

"Good, good. We must have one of our own earn the Target's trust if we are to succeed in the capture." I approved.

"This will prove more difficult for Target 2." My interlocutor mentioned, clearly inviting me to share my plans.

"I have a tip off from an old confidant about a boy that knows quite a bit about Target 2. We both know I have much to offer, should he share his knowledge."

I could practically see the self-congratulatory smirk on my partners face, though we only spoke through the phone.

"Excellent. Proposition the boy and see what we can get. We must trap both targets at the same time, or the other will pose a large problem for us."

I nodded, forgetting that my converser could not see me, before confirming our plan verbally and hanging up.

_You will be mine soon. _I thought viciously, imagining what I would do once my plan was successful.

I dialed the number scrawled by our infiltrator on the scrap of paper at my request, handed to me hastily in crowded walkways.

"Hello?" an innocent voice spoke, full of sleep. _How precious._

I quickly confirmed his identity in a cold tone.

"Who is this?" He asked, sounding rightfully frightened.

"Now, now. This is not quite the time for introductions." I drawled in a blasé tone.

"Who are you and what do you want?" The boy interrogated, trying to sound tough, but the tremors in his voice betrayed him.

"We want knowledge." I said, cutting to the chase. "You have the information we need regarding a student you know well."

"I don't know what-" I cut him off there.

"Don't even try to play dumb. I know everything about you and your little childhood friend. I even know that you seek his approval, despite outwardly ignoring him."

"Yeah? What does that have to do with giving you my information?" He asked boldly.

"When I said I knew everything, I meant _everything_. Do you think Dimka will approve of you when I tell him your little secret?"

I heard nothing but silence on the other line, and smiled coldly to myself. I knew this was his worst fear – Dimitri finding out what he had – or rather, had not – done seven years ago.

"We have an offer for you, Ivan Zeklos."

* * *

**What did you think of the Mason-Rose interactions? Dimitri-Rose? Isn't jealous Dimitri adorable?**

**Put your guesses as to who both callers, the infiltrator, and the confidant are. And who are their targets? Also, what do you think Ivan will do for them?**


	20. Chapter 19: Double Date (What!)

**ROSE**

"I'm going to kill you!"

I ran after Mason as he hurried away, glad that I'd worn flats.

"How else am I going to get you to hurry up, slow poke?" He poked me playfully in the side as I caught up with him, and I squealed loudly.

Of course, being me, I retaliated, and we got into a full out tickle fight right there on the sidewalk in front of the female dorms.

Breathless and grinning, he finally returned my clutch to me. "I think this belongs to you, mademoiselle."

"Oh, I ever the gentleman." I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes as I took it and walked away from him.

Laughing boisterously, he just jogged ahead of me and ushered me into his car after opening the door wide.

We went to a small diner just off campus where we would meet the rest of them, Mason having offered to drive me there. Arriving, we saw Lissa and Christian looking vomit-inducingly adorable together. He was picking her a small flower from a branch that hung low.

"Aw, where's mine, Chrissy?" I pouted at him by way of greeting.

"Wouldn't want you to feel left out." Mason winked jokingly, handing me one and sweeping me a low bow.

"So, where's everyone else?" I asked curiously, after the four of us were seated.

Mason and I sat next to each other and across from Lissa and Christian

"Ivan has a date with another one of his victims." Christian said, rolling his eyes.

"Mia and Eddie both said they were busy...At the same time." Lissa chimed in, turning to me as if just realizing this. I made a mental note to watch the two more carefully in the future.

Then, both Lissa and Christian turned to Mason.

"Wasn't Adrian supposed to come with you?"

"Ah, he's a bit occupied at the moment." He replied "He would have loved to come, though."

He seemed to find that funny, but before I could question him further, he changed the subject.

* * *

**DIMITRI**

I turned the country station a little louder as I drove home, trying to drown out my thoughts of Rose and Mason together. While Rose had assured me that they were just friends, and I trusted her completely, I wasn't so certain that I trusted Ashford.

* * *

_"I scored a date with Rose this Friday." I heard Mason Ashford boast as I walked out of the cafeteria._

_I stopped dead in my tracks, making the girl walking behind me slam into me and drop all of her books._

_"Watch it." She glared._

_"Yeah, sorry about that." I said distractedly, as I picked up her books and handed them to her, tuning out of the boys' conversation, but not before hearing a few more comments. _

_"Dude, good job!"_

_"Yeah, get a kiss for every guy at this school that's been pining over her."_

* * *

Shaking it off, I continued home. I had no right to care either way – I hadn't had the guts to make a move on her.

It just seemed that lately the people I cared about were turning towards others. I was afraid of what happened to Ivan happening to Rose. Then I'd be truly alone – no, I still had my family.

That thought comforted me as I walked up to me doorstep. However, I soon noticed a piece of paper on it. It was odd that they wouldn't put it in the mailbox. I picked it up, slowly unfolding and reading it.

As I read and re-read it, my eyes grew and my hands began to shake, causing me to drop the letter.

It fluttered toward the ground, where it contrasted starkly with the black 'Welcome' mat.

* * *

**ROSE**

"The slopes open up soon. Do you guys want to go together?" Mason asked us, excitedly.

"Yeah, of course. So I can mop the slopes with you and Chrissie." I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

He laughed, "Oh Rosebud, it will be you that is being mopped."

I rolled my eyes at him and turned to Christian, who seemed to be sizing me up inwardly.

"I'd bet on that." He said cockily, sticking out his hand for me to shake. But before I could Lissa laid her hand on his arm.

"Are you sure Christian? Rose is actually really good at skiing."

"Of course I'm sure." He said, shrugging her hand off.

"Well, what'll we bet fire boy?" I asked him, drawling casually.

"Servant for a day?" Mason suggested, and the number of hilarious things I could make him do in a day must've shown in the cunning glint in my eyes, because Christian swallowed heavily and paled a shade. But he would look cowardly backing out now, so he agreed.

I shook his hand firmly staring him down.

"You're gonna wish you'd never made this bet, Rosie." He said, trying and failing to sound menacing.

I simply laughed like he was a child that said something adorable and watched him quake in his boots.

"What about you, Mase? You want a piece of this?" I asked, smirking.

"Naw, I think I'll just watch you pummel Christian."

"What's wrong – scared?"

"Terrified." He said, slightly huskily and an odd shiver ran down my spine as we stared each other down challengingly.

And then his lips came crashing onto mine.

* * *

**ADRIAN**

"What the hell, Mason!" I tugged on the makeshift ropes he'd made out of a bed sheet angrily. "This is _so_ not fair."

He'd managed to get me back into my dorm just before we had to leave to pick Rose up using a method involving a lot of silly string and someone's pet dog. Now, I was tied to my desk chair, seemingly until the end of the night. By then, he will have swept Rose off her feet.

Mason grinned, looking himself over in the mirror one more time.

"All is fair in love and war. And this, my friend, is both."

* * *

**Check out my one-shots to support the Frostbite movie called Winter One-Shots! They all have a central theme of something cold.**


	21. Chapter 20: The Progenitor

**It might be a bit before my next chapter, but you can check out my other stories in my absence. See you again when I can! :)**

* * *

**DIMITRI**

It was addressed to Dimitri Ivanov, which alone made me shudder and put me on edge. Not many people here knew that last name. I had always wondered why Mama insisted on giving us her maiden name as our last names. _Well, I found out._ I thought bitterly.

I hesitantly opened the paper with shaking hands.

_My Dear Son, _

_How are your mother and sisters? I trust you have been taking care of them well over the past few years. Montana, America was a strange choice, but I hope to visit you all very soon. Don't worry - I will have brought gifts for you all._

_With much love,_

_Demyan Ivanov_

I was in shock, unable to think anything as I was trapped in my thirteen-year-old mind.

_Walking in on my father raising a chunk of wood over his head, my mother bruised and bloody on the ground. _

_My father in much the same position at my feet not three minutes later. _

_My mother begging me to stop, begging for the mercy he did not deserve. _

_Sonya's sharp gasp. _

_Karo's cry of surprise._

_Vikka's tears._

_But, most of all, my father's smirk. That damned insufferable smirk that had me screaming in my sleep for years. That haunted at the corners of my mind. That seemed to whisper: "You think it's over, don't you? No. It's barely begun."_

I shook myself out of it with difficulty, knowing I had to protect my family before I broke down.

I picked up the letter and walked in to Babuska sitting in the seat by the door, a sad, knowing look in her eyes.

"And you last saw him in Russia?"

"Yes, officer." I said solemnly.

"Well, Dimitri, because this was reported so many years later, and the letter isn't explicit in its threats, the most we can do at the moment is assign an officer to this area to be on-call for you at any time."

I nodded, glad to at least have some protection for my family.

"Meanwhile, I'd recommend you all act as normally as possible. Letting this disturb your lives will let him win. I assure you, you and your family will be in very capable hands."

"Thank you very much for your help, Officer Conners."

After the police left, they had an officer staying with my family for the evening. I decided that while everyone was safe, I'd get away for a while.

Distraught, I knew that nothing would make me feel better. Except one name kept going through my mind, one person I knew I could go to with this.

I started driving to school, in search of the one girl that was like a soothing balm for my pain.

I started going toward her room, before remembering she had plans.

When I was thirteen, I had bottled up my emotions much like I had a few hours ago. Now, with this trigger, five years of angst threatened at my emotionless walls. Still, I kept it together for now. Seeing Rose would have helped greatly, but I didn't want to be like some puppy following her around.

Dejectedly, I walked aimlessly around campus, figuring it was safe due to the extremely high security, until I heard my name. I paused for a moment, looking around before realizing it was someone talking about me, not to me.

"Oh Rose? No, she only talks to Dimitri because she pities him."

I stiffened. This was one of my greatest insecurities - that Rose didn't really care about me at all.

"Oh, it is definitely pathetic." I heard Natalie laughed and felt sick to my stomach. I knew I couldn't hear any more, so I turned and pushed open the nearest door, bursting into a dining area.

I heard two fake laughs as I walked in, as a blonde girl and her raven haired friend sat near the door.

"Oh, god. Look you just came in. Loser alert!" One said, turning toward the other.

"Aw maybe he's hoping to catch a date. Well, I don't think you'll have much like here." She said, turning on me, her voice full of mock-sympathy.

"Or anywhere." The other added. They both dissolved into laughter at that.

Shaking my head in disgust at them, I continued into the room. I turned the corner to where the tables were, planning on finding myself a secluded corner to push down my emotions, when I stopped in my tracks.

Because right in front of me was Roza kissing Mason Ashford.

I knew I had no right to be upset - we were in no capacity together, nor had I made the slightest romantic move toward her. However, this, along with the many other things that happened today and over the past five years accumulated and pressed heavily upon me.

The walls broke.

**ROSE**

His warm lips moved against mine, familiar, comfortable. There was no electricity, no draw, and no passion, but it felt...nice. But it was this lack of passion that made me remember what I was doing - leading on one of my best friends.

I pulled back in surprise, gaping at him for a moment, and he looked down at my facial expression.

"I'm so sorry Rose. I don't know what came over me." He apologized, looking repentant and embarrassed.

"Well, uh, we'll just leave you two alone for a moment." Lissa said, pulling a shocked looking Christian from his seat and backing out of the room.

"It's okay, Mason. It's just... I-I don't think of you that way. I'm sorry." I told him, though it was awkward.

Late Saturday morning found me winding my way through the male dormitory hallways. I was trying to find Dimitri's room based on the number he'd written down for me when we made plans to study together. I quickly found his room and knocked a few times. I waited a few minutes, but he didn't answer. I could tell he wasn't in the shower, and the door was unlocked. I debated inwardly, finally deciding that we had become close enough friends that it wouldn't be awkward for me to go in the room anyways.

I opened the door, stepping inside, and gasped at the sight that lay in front of me.

* * *

**Oh no, another cliffhanger! Will she ever stop? Probably not… (Sorry) Tell me what you think will happen! Leave your guesses in the reviews. :)**

**Interesting tid-bit: Demyan is a Russian name coming from Damian, meaning 'subduer'. **


	22. Chapter 21: Let's Get Down to Business

**ROSE**

Dimitri sat, hunched against the opposite wall with bottle of vodka overturned by his side. What little was left in the bottle now soaked his clothes, and his head lolled to the side, resting on his shoulder. A chair he had apparently thrown was in splinters against a wall, and his things were thrown haphazardly and angrily around. In short, he looked a mess.

And all I could do was stand there for a moment in utter shock at the realization that something had broken the boy I foolishly thought invincible.

I soon came to my senses and pried the Stolichnaya from his hand, gently unwrapping his fingers from the large glass bottle. Sighing, I kneeling before him for a moment. "Oh, Dimitri. What have you done?" I murmured softly brushing his brown locks back from his face.

After making sure the door was closed and locked, I set to cleaning up the splintered chair. I knew he wouldn't wake for a while, and I wasn't sure how much he would remember, so I didn't want him to find his room as a warzone when he did.

When I was done, I considered moving him to the bed, but he was far too heavy to lift, so I set him on his side, remembering to prop his head sideways as is common practice for someone who falls asleep drunk.

I took one last look at Dimitri, my hand resting on the doorknob and he began to murmur agitatedly. I shifted indecisively, worrying at my bottom lip. How could I abandon him while he was vulnerable?

I sighed and went back to his side, bringing a wet cloth for his forehead as I did. I lay down next to him, stroking his hair lightly.

Within the hour, Dimitri's eyelids began to flutter and I was greeted by the sight of the chocolate brown eyes I loved.

"Roza?" He asked hoarsely, squinting a bit.

"Hey, sleepyhead." I murmured sitting up.

"What happened?" He asked tentatively.

"You tell me," I replied "I found you in here with a messed up room and a bottle of Russian Vodka."

I saw the realization come upon his face as he remembered what had happened, watched as his face fell and then was replaced by a mask.

"Please, Dimitri" I implored, "Don't shut me out."

He sighed and after a few moments looked up at me. "I'd better start from the beginning…"

* * *

"Please tell me you beat him up." I said anxiously, squeezing his hand a little tighter.

"I did," he nodded, almost smirking.

"Wow," I breathed "You beat up your dad when you were thirteen? That's…badass. But I don't see…" I trailed off unsure what this had to do with what happened last night.

"That isn't all." Dimitri said, nervously. I waited patiently as he went over to a drawer, pulling out a much-abused piece of paper. "I got this in the mail today."

My mouth gaped in horror as I read the letter.

"Roza, I…I'm scared." He admitted in a whisper. I looked up at him, knowing how difficult it was for him to say those words.

I wrapped my arms around him quickly, pulling him close. He didn't object – I was sure he needed the physical comfort.

"It'll be fine." I encouraged, though I felt like it was anything but "He can't get to you here with the police and campus security."

"But…what if he does?" He breathed

"Then I'll be right there with you." I said firmly "I'm not letting you face this alone."

I sat there in silence mulling over the implications of my promise for a while, combing my fingers through his hair where his head lay across my lap.

His eyebrows were knitted together, and I stayed silent, wanting to give him this time to think. Eventually he spoke up "I want to be able to fight him."

"You can," I urged him "you beat him once."

"Yes, but I relied a lot on surprise. I don't have that now, and I know I can't best him in a fair fight."

I thought about it for a moment before the realization came to me.

"Yes you can." I said firmly "Because I'll train you."

* * *

**DIMITRI**

My breath was knocked out of me with a _woosh_ as I hit the mat for the fourth time. When I had taken Rose up on her offer to train me, I didn't expect it to be like this. After all, I was not small by any means – in fact I was more than twice Rose's size, and yet she continued to mop the floor with me.

"Alright, let's call it a day. Dinner's about to open" She said, apparently taking pity on my prone form sprawled at her feet.

I took the hand she reached out to me, standing up heavily despite my body's heavy protests. I took a heavy swig from my water bottle, feeling the plastic contract inward with a sigh as I squeezed the last of the water out of it.

"You didn't do bad for your first time fighting." Rose encouraged me with a smile that made my heart jump a little.

I laughed, not fooled: "If you call getting my ass kicked doing well, then sure."

"I've been doing this a long time," she reasoned, pulling a tray and loading it up nearly as high as mine "and you're learning very quickly."

"And not even Mason has been able to beat me, and he's been doing this almost as long as I have."

And there went my good mood. I didn't want to hear about her perfect boyfriend, so I quickly changed the subject.

"I'd never think I'd meet someone with as big an appetite as mine." I said, gesturing to her loaded plate.

"Oh shush." She stuck her tongue out at me and cut ahead of me. For a moment, I just stood there, watching her hips sway as she strode toward our table contemplating how my life got so wonderfully complicated in such a short amount of itme.

"Are you coming? Or are you just going to stare at my ass all day?" Rose called back without turning around, which was a good thing; it meant she didn't see my face, as it burned scarlet.

* * *

**ROSE**

"Look, all I'm saying is he's consistently dragging the rest of the team down. His fumbles are atrocious." I asserted, stealing a french-fry off of his tray and popping it into my mouth

Dimitri shook his head ardently, forgetting to even glare at me for his misplaced food "No way – if anything he's underrated. Look at his yards/g. Plus, he's constantly improving, which is more than I can say for others on the team."

"That's not totally warranted; the injury rate was sky high this year" I retorted, smiling at him gratefully as he took my tray to the trash for me.

"Fair enough," Dimitri conceded "but I still think he is a pretty good player."

I considered it for a moment as we ambled along, nodding eventually "He's not the star of the team but he's definitely not all that bad."

When we arrived at his dorm he held the door open for me and I didn't think twice about stepping in and plopping myself down on a chair he kept in the corner.

Dimitri sat back onto his bed, leaning on his elbows casually.

"So the mysterious Rose Hathaway knows her football. What else don't I know about you?" He said looking over at me. His tone was joking but his eyes were serious.

I smirked at him, propping my feet up on my bookbag.

"Plenty of things. I have to keep you guessing somehow, don't I?"

* * *

**I am so so so sorry about that extremely long wait. If it's any excuse, I'm a Junior (USA) and swamped with APs and SATs and other college things. I am going to try really hard to finish this, but I just wanted to let you know that there will be longer waits between chapters. **


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